Toxic Wings
by DarkraixCresselia
Summary: Life is hard when you're a wingless grasshopper, living with ants, and working as the youngest princess's guardian. And it gets harder when the leader of a feared grasshopper gang takes over the ants, and develops an interest in you. But the hardest is when you try and protect the ants from said grasshopper.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Last month, I rediscovered A Bug's Life, and as per tradition (XD) I made an OC for it. And in addition, began forming the plot for a story with said OC. The story will go through ABL and beyond, like my Epic fanfic.**

**I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

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The life of a grasshopper can be fairly simple. They are born, shed their skin until they are adults, eat grass, find mates, lay eggs, and die. However, life isn't always that simple. Not even for grasshoppers.

Kimberly never had too hard of a life. She started out like any normal grasshopper: she was born, shed her skin until she was an adult, and left her family to start her own life. She was an attractive yellow and light-orange grasshopper, with a slight tint of green. She had a thin face with large hazel eyes, orange claws and spikes, and black spots on her long legs. Her light-green antennae curled and hung above her face.

Kimberly was a peaceful soul. She rarely fought unless she needed to. That wasn't to say she was weak though. If she needed to fight, she could kick hard, and was would even scratch with her claws. But she usually fought to defend herself from insects and other grasshoppers, usually males.

She never thought on how she wanted the rest of her life to be. When she was young, she dreamt of finding her Prince Charming and raising children with him. But as she got older, those childish fantasies withered away from exposure to the real world. In the real world, Prince Charming was as good as nonexistent. In the real world, you were more than likely to find males you didn't even want to know than to find your future mate.

Despite her life starting normally, Kimberly ended up being a strange grasshopper. How many grasshoppers do you know who have no wings, live with ants, and works as the youngest princess's guardian?

It started when Kimberly flew onto a large island in the middle of a drying pond. The island had a giant tree in the middle, with one of its roots towering over an anthill. All of the aforementioned was on a small cliff, with a sort of beach off to the side. Grass littered around the tree, and there was a clover field as well. To bigger animals, it looked like a simple patch of clover; to insects, it was a beautiful forest.

Kimberly touched down on the island, smiling. It looked peaceful and beautiful. She decided she would stay for a little while, and then she would leave.

A gasp startled her. Turning towards the noise, she saw a lone blue ant. His eyes were wide with fright, his mouth dropped open, and a piece of grain lay at his feet. Neither insect said nor did anything. When Kimberly blinked, twitching her antennae slightly, the ant finally ran off, screaming, "Grasshopper! There's a grasshopper on the island!"

Kimberly cocked her head slightly in confusion. "What's wrong with grasshoppers?" She wondered out loud.

She soon got her answer when a small group of ants appeared, including the ant that had found her. Like said ant, their eyes and mouth were wide with fright. Kimberly stood still, wondering whether to stay frozen or take off, seeing as she wasn't welcome. Finally, one short, dusty-purple ant exclaimed, "Wait a minute! It's alone! And a female!"

The other ants muttered amongst themselves. Kimberly didn't know what to say or do. She took a cautious step back, wondering if the ants would attack now that they knew she was alone. However, she stepped in a small hole and fell back, exclaiming in surprise.

All at once, the ants grabbed her. They pulled her to the ant hill, ignoring her as she yelled, "What are you doing? What is going on?"

They tied her up with thin grass stems and dropped her none-too-gently. "Why are you here?" The ant from before scowled. "And why so early? It's barely spring!"

"Wh-what?"

"You know what I'm talking about! Why are you here?! Were you sent by Hopper to spy on us?"

"H-Hopper? Who's that?" Kimberly asked, feeling scared and vulnerable now that she was tied up.

"Don't play stupid!" An older ant yelled, smacking her on the head with a walking stick. Apparently now that Kimberly was tied up, the ants felt braver. "We know you're part of Hopper's gang! Why are you here?"

"I don't know who Hopper is! I mean no harm!"

"Poppycock!"

"She's not cracking." The other ant said. "Someone get me a sharp stone. And turn her over."

While an ant left to get a stone, the ants turned Kimberly onto her side. "Get both of her wings out." The ant continued. "But don't let her go!"

As soon as the ant that left came back, Kimberly's wings—her hardened pair and her membrane pair—were both out of her binds. The ant had a long, slim, sharp piece of stone. "Grab her wings." The lead ant said. "Pull the hardened wings back as far as you can. I want her membrane wings!"

The ants did as he ordered, and pulled her hardened wings back. Kimberly groaned in pain. "Last chance, Grasshopper." The lead ant said, gripping both of her membrane wings in one hand, and holding the stone up above his head in the other. "Why has Hopper sent you here? Is he coming early?"

"I don't know Hopper!" She cried. She screamed in pain as the stone sliced her membrane wings clean off. Only two stumps were left. Tears fell down her face as she writhed in pain, causing her binds to slip. She hardly noticed this, or the ants backing away, realizing she was free.

"What is going on here?" An elderly female voice yelled. "What is this?"

"A grasshopper, your highness." The lead ant said. "She was obviously sent here by Hopper, but she was playing dumb."

"She doesn't look anything like Hopper or his gang. And have you ever seen a female with them? She probably doesn't know Hopper at all, and you've permanently injured an innocent insect."

The ants fell silent. Kimberly had barely paid attention as she rolled onto her front, still crying in pain. She gasped in fright when she saw a purple elderly female ant standing in front of her. She wore a large crown made from a light-purple flower. Next to her was a younger purple ant, wearing a tiara made of small leaves. The younger female looked frightened, though the elder one looked unafraid. "_Do_ you know Hopper, my dear?" She asked gently.

"I don't know him at all!" Kimberly sniffled. "I just flew here, minding my own business, and was viciously attacked! Now, because of those ants, I can't fly anymore! I can't leave the island!"

"I'm very sorry. You see, we're enslaved by a gang of grasshoppers, so it makes us wary of any and all grasshoppers." The elderly ant crouched on one knee. "What is your name, child?"

"K-Kimberly, your highness." She answered, remembering that the other ants referred to her as royalty. It was no use angering them further.

"Again, I apologize for the incident, Kimberly. I'm afraid my council acted on fright and impulse." She stood up and frowned at the group of ants. "You've critically and permanently injured an innocent insect. Shame on you! Apologize to her at once."

The ants mumbled apologies, not looking very sorry at all. Kimberly gingerly stood up, hissing in pain as her wings involuntarily twitched. "Thank you, but apologies won't bring back my wings."

"I'm afraid not." The queen shook her head. "The least we can do is to help heal your remaining wings."

"What?!" A female ant exclaimed until the queen frowned at her sternly. She sighed, "Yes, your highness."

"Come with me, my dear." The queen said kindly.

"Won't the other ants object?" Kimberly asked.

"If they see you with me, they won't hurt you. I promise."

Swallowing nervously, she followed the queen to the anthill. The other ants followed, giving the grasshopper a wide berth. The other ants at the anthill gaped at the grasshopper, but left her alone.

Kimberly was led down the anthill and across a few roots into a room lit with mushrooms. She saw down on a small sunflower head, clutching her arms nervously. "There is no need for fear, child." The queen said. "Dr. Flora will wrap your wings, and they will heal just fine."

Dr. Flora—a short, light-blue, freckled ant—wrapped Kimberly's wing stumps in blades of grass. She froze periodically when Kimberly flinched in pain, but kept at it. "Thank you." Kimberly said once her wings were wrapped.

Flora blinked in surprise, as if a grasshopper thanking her was an astonishing thing to hear and witness. Regardless, she nodded in response. "You weren't introduced, but this is my oldest daughter, Atta." The queen said, gesturing at the younger purple ant. "She is next in line for my crown."

Kimberly nodded politely. "My council consists of Dr. Flora, Thorny, Cornelius, and Mr. Soil. Again, I am sorry they hurt you."

"'hurt' me? They chopped my wings off!" Kimberly yelled, startling the ants. "What kind of grasshopper am I without wings?! I can't go anywhere now! I'm useless!"

"You won't be able to leave until your wings heal anyway." The queen said patiently. "And you won't be useless. You can gather food if you'd like. As I said, we're enslaved by Hopper and his gang, and must pick a large offering of food for them every summer."

Kimberly's antennae relaxed slightly. Now she knew why the ants were so afraid of her. "That…that's awful. I'm sorry."

"Well, it's been going on for a long time. They don't give us too much trouble if we meet their demands. But anyway, when your wings are healed, you can help gather food. Otherwise, I may have a job for you as-"

"Mom?" A little purple ant with freckles came into the infirmary. "I saw you come in. What's-" She froze, wide-eyed, upon seeing Kimberly. She hid behind the queen's legs, shaking.

Kimberly's eyes softened at the young ant. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you." She said gently.

"This is my younger daughter, Dot." The queen said. She turned to the young ant. "Dot, this is Kimberly. She'll be staying with us for a while. She isn't a part of Hopper's gang, so don't worry. Her wings were cut off, so she needs to stay."

Dot looked back at Kimberly, her fear slowly draining away. Her large eyes had curiosity now. "You don't have any wings?" She asked timidly, stepping out from behind her mother.

"Not anymore." Kimberly shook her head.

"Oh, that's too bad. I can't fly either. My wings are too little." She glanced down, looking disappointed and frustrated.

Kimberly smiled, "Well, your wings will grow in someday, and you'll be flying in no time."

Dot looked up, grinning slightly. "Really? When that comes, I won't fly too far away."

Kimberly chuckled, patting the young ant's head. "I'm glad."

"As I was saying, Kimberly, maybe you could have a job as Dot's royal guardian." The queen said.

"You mean a babysitter?" Dot scowled.

"She'll stay with you wherever you go, making sure you don't go where you aren't allowed and don't get in trouble." The queen explained patiently. She turned to Kimberly. "Do you find that satisfactory?"

Kimberly nodded, "I think so, as long as Dot doesn't object."

"Um, okay." Dot said, drawing a circle on the ground with a foot. "I-I'm still scared of grasshoppers."

"I understand." Kimberly nodded. "I don't intend to hurt anyone, so don't worry."

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**A/N I'm not too sure about the title. Next to summaries, titles are one of the hardest things to come up for a story. One part inspiration was Kimberly losing her wings; the other part was the song Toxic (I prefer the Glee cover to Britney Spears)**

**Speaking of hard things for stories, another one is the beginning chapter. It's also hard to break in a new story. The first chapter may be a bit strange and OOC for some of the ants, but I hope the rest of the story will get better. Like I said, the story will go through the movie and beyond. But most of the movie will be "behind-the-scenes." Meaning Kimberly won't be attending Flik's expedition to the city. Plus, it'll be in her POV, though it may switch to another character's now and again.**

**The chapter after the next may be the start of the movie; I think at least half, if not more, of the story will happen after the movie.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

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The next day, Kimberly was allowed to leave the infirmary as long as she didn't mess with her wrapped wings. The queen—whom was named Phyllis—and Atta took her on a tour around the anthill and above. The former was holding a pet green aphid, named Aphie. Aphie was wary of Kimberly, and refused to be anywhere near her.

"Dot won't need supervision when she's in the anthill." Phyllis said. "But when she's above ground, you need to stay with her at all times, especially when you two are some distance from the anthill. When you hear the sound of the shell alarm, it means the grasshoppers are coming. You both are to come to and into the anthill immediately! Understand?"

"Yes, your highness." Kimberly bowed respectfully.

"Good. I'll go tell Dot that you're ready to begin your duties." Phyllis left to find Dot, leaving Kimberly with Atta.

"…So, your mother says you're in-training to be queen?" Kimberly asked, feeling a little awkward.

"Yes," Atta nodded, wringing her hands. "But I don't think I'm really ready yet." Her nervous expression turned angry. "If you hurt my little sister-"

"Your highness, I wouldn't think of harming any of the ants, much less Dot."

"N-not even after they chopped off your wings?"

"I was upset and angry about losing my wings, but your mother was kind to me, so I won't hurt the other ants. I'm not a part of this Hopper's gang. I don't even know him."

"You'll probably 'meet' him this summer when he and his gang come to take the offering."

"Your mother said he enslaved you ants? Why?"

"Yes. For as long as I could remember, we've been indebt to the grasshoppers. You see, there was a group of insects, worse than the grasshoppers, who threatened us. The grasshoppers promised to protect us, and in exchange,"

"You must provide a large offering of food." Kimberly finished.

"Precisely." Atta nodded. "But we exchanged a bad predicament for another."

"But at least you're safe from the other bugs."

"I suppose…"

Kimberly saw how this made Atta depressed and nervous, so she decided to change the subject. Glancing around, she saw a blue ant doing something with sticks and leaves. "What is that ant doing?" She asked, pointing to the ant in question.

Atta sighed, shaking her head. "That's Flik. He's always doing something strange. He means well, but…accidents tend to happen around him."

Kimberly cocked her head slightly. She was always a curious grasshopper, and upon seeing this Flik doing something with sticks and leaves, her curiosity piqued. She approached the ant, hands behind her back. "Er, hello." She said.

Flik jumped in fright, eyes widening. "It's all right, I won't hurt you." Kimberly said, holding up her top hands. "I was just curious about what you were doing."

Flik blinked in surprise. "Oh, well, I-I was just making another invention."

"What kind of invention?" She asked.

"To quicken the harvesting. We always barely get enough food for the grasshopper's offering, so I was trying to find a way to speed up the process."

"That sounds smart and brilliant." Kimberly smiled.

A small smile grew on Flik's face. "Yeah, well, you're the first to say that. Not everyone appreciates my inventions. The ant colony prefers to keep things the way they are."

"It doesn't hurt to have a little change every now and then." Her antennae twitched at someone calling her name. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Phyllis returning, with Dot in tow. "Do excuse me, Flik, but I'm afraid duty calls."

"Wait. How'd you know my name?"

"Princess Atta kinda introduced me."

"Really?" His smile broadened as he glanced at Atta. "She mentioned me? What'd she say?"

"Um…she said you mean well, despite causing accidents."

That didn't seem to put a damper on Flik's mood as he went back to his project, smiling wistfully. Kimberly smirked knowingly, going back to the royal ants.

"I see you've met Flik." Phyllis said. "That boy means well, but the other ants, namely my council, think he's…strange and troublesome. But, enough about that. Dot, Kimberly will stay with you for the rest of the day, unless there are other ants around."

"Yes, Mother." Dot nodded, staying some distance from Kimberly anyway.

"Oh, another thing, don't go down to the beach." Phyllis said. "There isn't much water these days, but I don't want to take a chance."

"Yes, your highness." Kimberly bowed.

"Yes, Mother." Dot nodded.

"Well, Dot," Kimberly said as Phyllis and Atta left. "What would you like to do?"

"Um, the clover forest?"

"Then, to the clover forest we'll go." Kimberly nodded. "But you'll have to show me where it is. I've barely been here one day, so I don't quite know my way around the island."

This made Dot smile a bit, probably at the responsibility of showing someone around the island. "I know where it is! Follow me." Waving her hand, she trotted away.

"Dot, wait for me!" Kimberly followed. She didn't need to hurry, as she had very long legs, and soon caught up to the princess.

"This is the clover forest," Dot said, nodding at the tall clovers. "We can either stand beneath them, or climb and sit on top. It's always fun."

"I'll bet it's a great view." Kimberly said, looking up at the tall plants.

"Yeah, it is." Dot nodded. "And it's a great hiding place from-"

"Hey, it's little Squirt!" A boy's voice shouted.

"Them." Dot groaned.

Kimberly looked to see two boy ants come walking up. One was light purple with a round face. The other was light blue with a thinner face and dark-blue freckles. They froze when they saw Kimberly. "Wh-what's a grasshopper doin' here?" The purple one, who was the one who called Dot 'Squirt,' whimpered.

"She's my guardian." Dot said proudly. "So you guys can't pick on me anymore. Otherwise, Kimberly'll kick your butts!"

"Dot, I won't be kicking anyone's butts." The female grasshopper chided.

The blue ant's eyes blinked in realization. "Hey, you're that wingless grasshopper from yesterday."

Kimberly rolled her eyes, smirking slightly. "Well, I suppose you can call me that."

"Her name is Kimberly." Dot frowned. "And mine's Dot."

"And what may I call you boys?" Kimberly asked.

"I'm Chris," The purple ant said. "And he's Michael." He jerked his thumb at the blue ant.

"My dad said you were faking it when you said you weren't part of Hopper's gang." Michael said. "Is that true?"

Kimberly managed to keep herself from groaning in exasperation. "No, it's not. I've never met Hopper in all my life. I don't even know what he looks like."

"He's as big as you," Dot said. "He's kinda brownish, and, um, he's got a big scar over his eye." She drew a finger down her right eye in emphasis. "And that eye's kinda funny-looking. It looks cloudy.."

_So he's blind in one eye? Interesting._ "I can honestly say I've never met a brownish grasshopper with a big scar over his eye." Kimberly said. "But your sister said I may meet him this summer."

The ant children shook in fright, remembering the grasshoppers were coming. "I don't like him." Dot said. "He's mean and scary."

Deciding to distract poor Dot from thoughts of the grasshoppers, Kimberly said, "Hey, how about you show me around the island some more?"

Dot's eyes lit up. "I'll show you the Blueberry Scouts' hideout! C'mon!" She jumped up, grabbed Kimberly's bottom hand, and dragged her along, much to the amusement of the grasshopper.

The Blueberry Scouts' hideout was hidden in a dandelion. Since Kimberly couldn't fit, Dot told her it led to a cave where the Blueberry Scouts hung out. She was also able to introduce Kimberly to her troop. The girls were wary of her, but when the grasshopper showed she meant no harm, they were a little braver.

That evening, Kimberly walked back to the anthill, with Dot trotting ahead of her. The little princess was still a little afraid of the grasshopper, but she at least knew she wouldn't hurt anyone. Phyllis patted Dot's head and asked if she had fun with her new guardian. "She's even better than I thought! She said she's not gonna hurt anyone, and said she didn't know Hopper. She said she's never met a brown grasshopper with a big scar over his eye when I told her what he looks like. And I introduced her to the Blueberry Scouts. They're still scared of her though."

"They'll get used to her." Phyllis said assuringly. She turned to Kimberly. "I hope Dot didn't give you any trouble."

"She wanted me to kick some boys' butts," Kimberly chuckled. "And she tried to go down to the beach, though I told her that you said for us not to go. Other than that, no trouble at all. She was a regular angel." She ruffled Dot's antennae, making her giggle.

"I'm glad you're settling into your new job so nicely." Phyllis smiled. "As I said, you may help pick food if you'd like. Goodness knows we need all the help we can get."

"Atta said the grasshoppers protect the ants from bigger insects?" Kimberly asked.

"Yes." The queen nodded with a sigh. "We, or at least a select few, are grateful for that. Though our enslavement is terrible, it's better than being killed off by bigger insects."

"If I may, your highness, what were the 'bigger insects'?"

Phyllis told Dot to go find Atta and ask her to tuck her into bed. Once she was gone, the queen's expression was more serious. "The bigger insects were a large beetle, named Caesar, and his group of dragonflies. Caesar was able to command his dragonflies to attack, and even eat other insects. He fears nothing; not even birds."

"What?!" Kimberly exclaimed, knowing birds were an insect's worse enemy.

"The pattern on his back wards birds away. And some his dragonflies are able to almost always avoid birds."

"So how did the grasshoppers ward them off?"

"That, I am not sure of. All I know is the grasshoppers said they would chase away Caesar and his insects, and in exchange, we ants must provide an annual offering of food. Ever since, the only troublesome insects we had were the grasshoppers."

Kimberly was silent as she digested the information. It sounded like the ants traded one bad thing for another when they made the deal with the grasshoppers. But she kept quiet about it anyway, not wishing to upset the queen. "I'll do whatever I can to help." She promised.

"Thank you, my dear," Phyllis nodded, patting her hand. "They may not show it, but the other ants will appreciate it."

Kimberly nodded absentmindedly.

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**A/N Why ARE the ants enslaved by the grasshoppers? I have a feeling it wasn't for nothing. Hopper mentioned they were doing it as per a bargain ("...if you don't keep your end of the bargain, then I can't guarantee your safety.") In my head-theory, there are, as Hopper said, other insects who'd take advantage of the ants (ain't that the pot calling the kettle black?) so the ants struck a bargain with Hopper to keep the "other insects" at bay. I doubt Hopper would have done it out of the goodness of his heart, which is why the ants have to make the annual offering. I might be reading too much into this, but I like knowing backstories and history. So, unless there's something that disagrees with my theory (be it the directors or an information book, like that of Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc. saying otherwise) I won't change it.**

**Ok, now that that's out of the way, I named the queen Phyllis in honor of her late actress. It's a fitting name anyway. I only named the boy ants Chris and Michael because it sounded right.**

**We're also introduced to Flik (he wasn't the ant who first found Kimmy in the last chapter) The contraption he's working on is the harvester we see in the film.**

**Speaking of which, the next chapter will be the start of the film.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**RosesnWater: Thanks :D I'm glad you like the story and Kimberly. Huh, I didn't know that.**

**Guest: Thanks :)**

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Kimberly lived with the ants for three months, working as Dot's guardian/babysitter. She would sometimes help carry food to the offering stone for the grasshoppers, though she got wary glances and glares from the ants. Despite not harming anyone, most of the ants still disliked and distrusted her. Kimberly didn't mind this, as she knew Dot, Phyllis, and to a lesser extent, Atta, trusted her. The Blueberry Scouts, Chris, and Michael weren't as frightened of her either. Even Flik was beginning to trust her.

Soon came the day the grasshoppers would come to take the offering. Atta was very nervous, muttering to herself, despite Phyllis's comforting words. Kimberly stood off to the side, staring off in space, deep in thought. She often had moments when she was lost in her thoughts, barely noticing everything else. However, she did hear when one of the council ants—he was the ant who cut off her wings, and was named Thorny—yelling at Flik.

Flik had put together a strange contraption that sawed down stalks, shook the grain seeds out, and tossed away the stalk. Even though the other ants disliked the machine, Kimberly thought it was a smart idea, though she could do without tossing the stalks away, risking someone getting injured, like today.

Flik had also made a telescope out of a leaf blade and bead of dew. That was the last straw for Thorny, and yelled at Flik to leave Atta alone, whom Flik was showing his inventions to, and to pick grain like everyone else. Cornelius, the thin ant with the walking stick, agreed with him, just as he usually did. Kimberly's antennae relaxed as she watched Flik walk away, head hanging. She ignored the other ants' grumbles, and watched as Dot picked up the telescope Thorny threw aside and ran after Flik. Kimberly went after her as the young dot yelled, "Hey, Flik! Flik, wait up!"

"Oh, hello, Princess," He greeted solemnly. "Ms. Kimberly."

"You can call me 'Dot'." She smiled.

"There's no need for the 'Ms.'" Kimberly added. "Just my regular name is fine."

"Here, you dropped this." Dot said, holding out the telescope.

"Thanks, but I can just make a new one."

"Kimberly and I like your inventions."

"Really?" Flik asked, crossing his arms. He glanced at Kimberly nodding in agreement with a kind smile. "Well, you two're the first." He looked away and sighed, "I'm beginning to think nothing I make works."

"_This_ works." Dot said, looking through the telescope.

"And your harvester did too, despite making a mess." Kimberly added.

"Great, two accomplishments." Flik said sarcastically, waving a finger. "I'll never make a difference."

"Me neither." Dot sighed. "I'm a royal ant and I can't even fly yet! I'm too little."

"Chin up, Dot," Kimberly said. "You'll be able to fly someday."

"She's right." Flik nodded. "Besides, being little's not so bad."

"Yes, it is!" Dot said adamantly.

"Is not."

"Is too!"

Eventually, all Kimberly could hear was a combination of "Is not" and "Is too". She rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly.

Finally, Flik stopped arguing and muttered, "Seed, I need a seed." He spun around, trying to grab a seed out of the back of his harvester, but couldn't reach. Sighing in frustration, he picked up a small rock, took the telescope away, and pushed the rock into Dot's hands. "Here, pretend-pretend this is a seed."

Dot raised an eyebrow. "It's a rock."

"Oh, I know it's a rock. Let's just pretend it's a seed. Let's just use our imagination. Now, you see our tree?"

The ants and grasshopper glanced at the tree as Flik continued, "Everything that made that giant tree is contained in this little seed. It just needs some rain, a little sunshine, some time, and voila!" He spread his arms at the tree.

Dot glanced at the rock, still confused and unimpressed. "This rock will be a tree?"

"Seed-to-tree," Flik said, crouching on one knee. "You gotta work with me here. Now, you may think you're too little to do anything, but that's because you're not a tree yet. You need some time to grow. You're still a seed."

Kimberly smiled slightly, starting to get what Flik was trying to say. Dot evidently didn't though. "…But it's a rock." She said, shrugging.

"I _know_ it's a rock!" Flik yelled, jumping up. "You think I don't know a rock when I see a rock?! I've spent a lot of time around rocks!"

"You're weird," Dot laughed as Kimberly took the telescope and looked through it. "But I like you."

Kimberly was impressed with the telescope. It really did work. She could see the blades of grass from far away, the shell alarm on the tree, and…_What's that? Is that a cloud? Why's it so dark?_

Suddenly, there was a low, roar from the shell alarm. Flik gasped, "They're here!"

Kimberly dropped the telescope, wide-eyed. Was that dark cloud she saw the grasshoppers? Before she could ask, Dot ran back to the anthill, crying out for her mother. Kimberly followed her, dodging the running and screaming ants. Dot finally reached Phyllis in the middle of the mess. Kimberly stood by her as she whistled loudly, freezing the ants. "All right, everyone!" She yelled. "Single file! Food to the offering stone, then into the anthill! Now let's go!"

The ants got back into their single file, threw their load onto the offering stone, and ran into the anthill. Kimberly followed Phyllis and Dot down into one of the main chambers. As she stood among the crowd, she began to feel the ants' terror. It was contagious, making her feel nervous. She hadn't seen another grasshopper in so long, save for some males looking for mates. She always avoided them, or if she was caught, she was able to lose them by running or flying in a zigzag pattern through foliage. There was a time or two she led them to a predator. Now, she was starting to get nervous butterflies in her stomach. She stared at the ceiling with the other ants, barely noticing Atta come down to stand by her mother and younger sister on the stone throne.

There was a loud rumble from outside, signaling the grasshoppers' arrival. The crowd of ants was silent, save for a few whimpers from ant children. She heard Atta muttering under her breath, "They come, they eat, they leave. They come, they eat, they leave."

Kimberly jumped when she heard someone exclaiming, "Excuse me! Pardon me! Sorry, coming through!" It was Flik, pushing through the crowd of ants. He tried to get Atta's attention, whimpering something about the offering. The princess shushed him though.

The rumbling stopped, and there was a different noise, like the grasshoppers landing. "Hey, what's going on here?!" A voice yelled.

"Yeah!" Another agreed.

"Where's the food?" Another voice asked.

The ants all gasped in horror. Kimberly's eyes widened. She had seen the huge pile of food on the offering stone. What had happened? She, like the rest of the ants, turned to Flik, who was hunched down, shaking in fright. Atta was glaring at him angrily, hissing, "What did you do?!"

"…It was an accident." Flik whimpered.

BOOM!

* * *

**A/N I'm still kinda trying to flesh out Kimberly's character.**

**I think it's pretty cool how small things, like Flik's harvester and the telescope, are made from simple tiny objects. But I think my favorite, and probably everyone else's, is the bird. Seeing that thing in action from Flik's POV makes me think it would be a great ride for Disneyland or California Adventure, since that's where the ABL stuff is (when we go this summer [hopefully] I wanna see "It's Tough to be a Bug" and get my picture taken with the Hopper statue :D) It'd be like one of those pirate ship rides, going back and forth. There'd be a staff member, dressed as an ant, pretending to pilot the bird, like Flik did. And each seat would have a little television screen showing what was happening outside the bird; grasshoppers would be scattering, the ants and circus bugs pretending to be injured, and there'd be Hopper and Molt as well. It's just an idea though :)**

**Next chapter, we and Kimberly meet my favorite character of the movie: Hopper!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**Guest: Thanks :)**

**Mysterygirl145: Hey, stranger XD I feel the ants would be afraid and wary of every grasshopper, and would automatically assume they were in cahoots with Hopper.**

**I dunno. I think it might be influenced by some artwork of him on DeviantART, and the fact that he's a cool character. I also just seem to gravitate towards villains more than protagonists.**

* * *

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The grasshoppers shoved their feet through the ground into the chamber, creating large holes in the ceiling. The ants screamed in fright as the green grasshoppers jumped in, laughing. They began chasing the ants around the chamber, either running or hopping. A fat brown grasshopper stuck his head through a hole, laughing, "Boo!" He leapt down through the hole into the chamber. Holding up all four of his hands in what he probably thought was threatening, he sneered, "Where's the food?"

Kimberly never knew how the grasshoppers didn't see her. She, a yellowish grasshopper, stuck out like a sore thumb amongst blue ants. Perhaps it was because the grasshoppers were intent on terrifying the ants as much as they could. Some hopped around the council members, bringing the small group of ants into a tight ball. Three other grasshoppers were kicking around some ants, including Flik, as though they were playing with balls. The ants crawled away from the grasshoppers, eyes wide in fright.

SLAM!

All of the ants and grasshoppers froze at the last sound. Another brown grasshopper had jumped down into the chamber through one of the holes in the ceiling, landing in front of the three kneeling ants. Unlike the previous brown grasshopper though, this one was tall and thin; he was taller than all of the other grasshoppers, and was thinner than the previous brown grasshopper, though he certainly wasn't sickly thin. As he leaned down to glare at the ants, Flik whimpered, "H-Hopper!"

Kimberly, who was standing still among the ant crowd, gasped softly. Dot curled into her mother's chest in fright, and Atta leaned back, looking equally terrified.

As Hopper stood up straight, all four arms behind his back, Kimberly could see his face. As Dot had said months ago, he had a long scar down across his right, blind eye. His good eye was a rich brown. He began walking around the chamber, stepping over the ants on the ground first. The ants gave him a wide berth as he walked by. As he passed by, Kimberly's hazel eyes followed him in both terror and fascination. Despite being an obviously feared and hated insect, she couldn't help but think this grasshopper to be quite handsome and attractive, though she later mentally slapped herself from thinking this.

Finally, Hopper stopped his trek around the chamber. He stood still, facing the wall. "So, where is it?" He asked in a low voice. When no one, grasshopper nor ant, answered, he turned around, shouting with a glare, "Where's my food?!"

His voice echoed around the chamber, and all insects remained silent. "I-Isn't it up there?" Atta finally asked timidly.

"What?!" Hopper snapped, approaching her.

Atta didn't seem to notice, as she was looking down as she spoke, "The food was up there, sitting on a leaf-"

"Excuse me!"

Atta finally noticed the tall grasshopper in front of her. "Are you saying it's not up there?"

Hopper stared at Atta, asking sarcastically, "Are you saying I'm stupid? Do I look stupid to you? Let's just think about this for a second, shall we? Let's just think logically about this. If it was up there, would I be coming down here, to your level, looking for it?!" As he spoke, his voice rose in volume, and he thrust his face closer to Atta until their noses nearly hit each other.

As Atta shook in fear, Hopper asked, in a lower voice, "Why am I even talking to you? _You're_ not the queen." The tips of his antennae danced on her face, sniffing her as she cringed. "You don't smell like the queen."

"Sh-she's learning to take over for me, Hopper." Phyllis spoke up in a slight stammer.

"Oh, I see, under new management." Hopper nodded with a smile. It was soon replaced with a sneer. "So, it's _your_ fault."

"No! It wasn't me!" Atta protested. She began to point Flik out, but was interrupted.

"Uh-uh-uh! First rule of leadership: everything is your fault."

Kimberly began to scowl. Even though she and Atta weren't very good friends, she still didn't like the way Hopper was talking down to the princess. Her attraction to the grasshopper was waning. "It's a bug-eat-bug world out there, Princess," He said. "One of those circle-of-life things. Let me tell you how it works: the sun grows the food, the ants pick the food, the grasshoppers eat the food-"

"And the birds eat the grasshoppers!" The fat grasshopper spoke up in a jolly voice, which sounded out of place in such a gang. "Like the one that nearly at you, you remember?" He prattled on, unaware of the other grasshopper's glare.

Kimberly raised an eyebrow, wondering why Hopper would let such a grasshopper—evidently named Molt, as that was what Hopper snarled when the grasshopper continued to talk—live, as he seemed to not tolerate foolishness. She and the other ants watched as Hopper grabbed Molt's antennae, ignoring the latter's pained cries, and shove him against a wall. She couldn't hear what Hopper was saying, but he sounded angry. At some point, he wound up a fist until Molt yelled, "Remember Ma!"

This made Hopper turn around and punch another grasshopper instead. He stood there, panting, and looked up at the ants. His glare turned into a patronizing expression. "Hey, I'm a compassionate insect." He said, spreading his bottom hands out and placing his top hands on his chest. "There's still a few months until the rains come, so you can all just try again."

"But Hopper, since it's almost the rainy season, we need this time to gather food for ourselves." Phyllis spoke up, seeming to be the only ant brave enough to talk to the grasshopper leader without appearing frightened.

"Listen, if you ants can't keep your end of the bargain, then I can't guarantee your safety." Hopper said. "And there are insects out there who'd take advantage of you. Someone could get hurt." He snapped his fingers.

Kimberly narrowed her eyes in confusion at a snarling sound. _What's that sou-oh my goodness, what _is_ that?!_

A thin, light-green grasshopper was held back by two other grasshoppers by a sort of strong vine tied around his neck. He was the one making the snarling growls. When he saw with Dot, his growls grew louder. The princess gasped and made a run for it, only to run into Hopper's hand. He held her in his top hands so they were at eye-level. "What's the matter? You scared of grasshoppers?" He asked, holding her out to the growling grasshopper.

Kimberly's eyes widened in horror and anger. _Why, that brute! This is the last straw!_

"You don't like Thumper?" Hopper continued, holding Dot just out of the thin grasshopper's reach. Dot leaned back, whimpering loudly in fright.

"Leave her alone!" Flik shouted, running out of the crowd into a patch of sunlight streaming in from one of the holes in the ceiling. Another voice had shouted the same thing as well. Kimberly had leapt over a few ants to stand near Flik.

Hopper pulled Dot back away from the now-quiet grasshopper and raised an eyebrow at the two insects. While Flik's eyes widened in terror, and his knees began to shake, Kimberly stood still with a scowl on her face. She may have thought the one-eyed grasshopper to be attractive at one point, but as soon as he began talking down to Atta and threatening to feed Dot to the thin grasshopper, that thought had all but vanished. All she saw now was a brute and a bully.

Hopper smiled crookedly, his eye turning to the yellowish female grasshopper. "Well, look what we have here, boys," He said to his green grasshoppers. "A grasshopper amongst ants; and a _female_, at that."

The grasshoppers had chuckled when Hopper pointed out Kimberly seemed to be living with the ants. When he mentioned that she was a female, their chuckles and grins grew.

"What's a fine-looking grasshopper like _you_ doing with these ants?" Hopper asked, approaching her and Flik. The ant backed away a step, but Kimberly stood still, though she swallowed nervously. She had seen when he hit another grasshopper in anger and brushed it off as though it were nothing. She continued to scowl at Hopper, trying to mask her small fear.

"Not much of a talker, hm? Maybe I can change that." He grinned charmingly, reaching out with a free top hand to cup her cheek.

SMACK! All of the ants and grasshoppers gasped in shock and surprise. It had happened so fast, they scarcely believed it happened. Kimberly stood where she was, with her top arm across her chest, still scowling. Hopper's face was turned to the side, and he had a mildly-surprised expression.

She had slapped him.

He turned back to her, his surprised expression gone and replaced with a glare. "You'll regret doing that." He said in a low, threatening voice. He couldn't look down at her because they were the same size, and she was standing up straight.

"I don't think I will." Kimberly finally answered in the same low tone. Her knees barely begun to shake, but she tried to stay still. She couldn't believe she had slapped him until she did it.

"Who _are_ you? What's your name?"

"Put. Her. Down! _That's_ my name!"

"Kimberly! No!" Flik whispered sharply, tugging one of her arms. She ignored him though.

"Ah, so it's 'Kimberly,' eh?" Hopper asked, having heard the ant. "Quite a lovely name." He turned to Flik, evidently remembering that he had also shouted. He held Dot by the head and held her out to him. "You want her? Well, go ahead. Take her."

Both Flik and Kimberly stood still, the former looking the ground, and the latter still glaring. "No? Then get back in line, _both_ of you!"

Flik backed up and was swallowed by the crowd of ants. Kimberly simply stepped out of the light. "It seems to me that you ants are forgetting your place." Hopper said, finally letting Dot drop to the ground. She ran back to her mother. "So, let's _double_ the order of food."

All of the ants gasped. It was bad enough they had to gather more food, when the island barely had enough for both parties of insects. But double? That was impossible.

Ignoring Atta's stammers of protest, Hopper spoke on, plucking a piece of molted skin from Molt, "We'll be back when the last leaf falls." He let the skin flutter to the ground like a leaf.

The ants all subconsciously looked up at the tree through the holes in the ceiling. The leaves were all green, but how long would they stay green and on the tree?

Hopper looked back at Kimberly with a charming smile. "I'll see you this autumn, Kimberly." He said, touching her cheek again.

This time, Kimberly spit on him. The ants and grasshoppers gasped again, though this time Hopper simply wiped the brown liquid from his cheek, smirking in an amused manner. "I like a feisty female." He chuckled, stepping back in a patch of sunlight. He nodded at the ants, "You ants have a nice summer. Let's ride!"

At the last two words, the grasshoppers laughed and hooted. Their wings began to move, making a loud buzzing sound. Hopper crouched down as his wings too began to blur, and jumped out of the hole in the ceiling. The other grasshoppers followed suit; Molt crashed into the ceiling, shook his head, and followed the others out.

The laughs and buzzing sound soon disappeared, leaving a nerve-wrecking silence. The ants turned to look at Flik and Kimberly. Flik was grinning nervously, and Kimberly now had a worried expression.

_Oh no._

* * *

**A/N I think Hopper's entrance is one of the best villain entrances. There's his gang, wreaking havoc, kicking everyone around. Then he jumps in, and everything freezes. Plus, there's the fact that there's a loud "boom" of music when he lands that punctuates it further.**

**Even though Kimberly knows Hopper's a nasty insect to the ants, she, a female in her prime, she can't help but fall for him...temporarily. She's the kind of girl who falls for someone based on personality as well as appearance.**

**You might have read a chunk of this chapter on my DA page; more specifically, from when Flik and Kimberly yell "Leave her alone!" to when Kimmy tells Hopper to put Dot down, though I might have tweaked some details.**

**I hope I wrote Hopper well, as this is the first time I've written him. The preview on DA didn't really count, I think. I have a feeling he and the gang haven't seen a female for a while, so he's bound to put the charm on. Too bad for him, Kimberly's not fooled or fallen (anymore)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**hellgirl-fan1: No, she'll be staying at Ant Island.**

**RosesnWater: XD I think everyone else felt the same way. Yeah, Kimberly's smarter than that.**

* * *

Kimberly and Flik flinched as Atta pounded her gavel on the rock table. They were in the council chambers, in front of the council members, consisting of Atta, Thorny, Cornelius, Dr. Flora, and Mr. Soil, the young ants' teacher. "Flik, what do you have to say for yourself?" Atta asked.

"I'm sorry." He fidgeted his hands guilty. "I-I'm sorry for the way I am. I didn't mean for things to go so wrong. I especially didn't want to make you look bad, Princess."

"Well, Flik, you did." Atta said, crossing her arms.

"Your highness, if our standing up to Hopper affected the offering being doubled, I sincerely apologize as well." Kimberly spoke up. "Flik and I were only defending Dot, and…well, I guess I took it too far."

"It wasn't just standing up to Hopper, Kimberly," Atta said. "It was about Flik causing the offering to fall into the river. You smacking and spitting on Hopper was only a fraction of the problem."

"I was just trying to help." Flik said.

"Then, help us," Mr. Soil suggested. "_Don't_ help us!"

Kimberly only watched as Flik's antennae perked up, and he turned around, muttering to himself. "Flik, you are sentenced to one month digging in the tunnels." Atta said.

"Uh, excuse me, your highness?" Thorny spoke up. "Need I remind you of Flik's tunnel-within-a-tunnel project? It took two days to dig him out! Send him to Health and Ant Services."

"Heavens, no!" Dr. Flora protested.

Kimberly stood silently, tuning out the ants' bickering and Flik's muttering. She shuffled her feet, wondering what her punishment would be. She knew the council members would want to make hers especially harsh. She only hoped Phyllis would have a say in it. She already figured she would need to keep a tighter eye on Dot, especially when the grasshoppers come again.

Speaking of the grasshoppers, she asked Phyllis about Hopper keeping that other grasshopper alive. "Molt? Oh, that's his younger brother." She said, feeding a small berry to Aphie.

"His brother?" She cocked an antenna. "Well…there _was_ some resemblance. Is that why he keeps him alive? Hopper struck me as the kind of insect who doesn't tolerate foolishness."

"Well, far as I know, Hopper only keeps him alive because their late mother asked him to, though he's slipped a few times, as you saw today."

"How do you know about that?" Kimberly asked. "I mean, about them being brothers, and the reason for keeping Molt alive?"

"It's perfect!" Flik exclaimed, silencing the council members' arguing.

"Perfect?" Phyllis asked, forgetting about the conversation with Kimberly. "What's so perfect?"

"Your highness, don't you see?" Flik asked, running to the queen. "We could send someone to get help!"

The council members gasped. "Leave the island?" Atta asked incredulously.

"Now, why didn't I think of that? Oh, because it's suicide!" Phyllis snapped.

"She's right," Thorny agreed. "We _never_ leave the island!"

"Never leave!" Cornelius shook his head.

"There's snakes, and birds, and bigger bugs out there!"

"Snakes?!" Kimberly exclaimed, eyes widening in fear.

"Exactly!" Flik said to Thorny. "Bigger bugs! We could get bigger bugs to come here and fight! And be forever rid of Hopper and his gang."

"Did he say 'snakes'?" Kimberly asked, though none of the ants acknowledged her.

"Ludicrous!" Mr. Soil exclaimed.

"Who would ever do a crazy thing like _that_?" Dr. Flora asked.

"I'll volunteer!" Flik immediately said. "I'd be very happy to volunteer."

Phyllis laughed, patting his hand, "You got a lot of spunk, kid. But no one's gonna help a bunch of ants."

"Snakes! I _hate_ snakes!" Kimberly exclaimed, though she knew no one was listening. "I'm _terrified_ of them!"

"At least we could try. Oh! I could go to the city! I could search there!"

"If you went, you'd be on that silly search for weeks." Atta scoffed, grinning.

This caught Thorny's attention. "Royal huddle." He said, signaling for the council members to turn and whisper.

"What was that you said, dear?" Phyllis asked Kimberly. "Something about snakes?"

"Oh, it's nothing." She shook her head.

"If you're so afraid of snakes, you could stay here." Flik said, patting her bottom shoulder.

"Well, I was planning to anyway, as I'm Dot's royal guardian. But thanks, Flik, I appreciate it." She smiled.

At this point, the council members turned back around. "Flik, after much deliberation," Atta said. "We've decided to grant you your request."

"Really?" Flik smiled.

"Really?" Phyllis and Kimberly raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, really." Atta nodded.

"Oh, thank you, princess!" Flik exclaimed, shaking her hand, ignoring her protests. "Thank you so much for this chance! I-I-I won't let you down, I promise! Oh, but I probably should help repair some of the damage before I go, don't you think?"

"No!" The council members shouted, urging him to leave.

"Flik will leave in the morning, when he's rested and prepared." Phyllis said. "As for everyone else, they will assume their normal duties, in addition to repairing the damage. Kimberly, you may help with either the offering, or repairing the damage, if you wish. But your duties to Dot stay the same, if not increased."

"Yes, your highness." She bowed. "Uh, may I speak with Atta for a minute?"

"Certainly, my dear." Phyllis nodded, unaware of Atta shaking her head frantically.

"Thank you." Kimberly smiled, taking Atta's hand. She dragged her into another tunnel before exclaiming. "What is going on?! What happened to tunnel digging, or Ant and Health, or whatever? You said it yourself; he'd be on that search for weeks!"

"Exactly." Atta shrugged as though it were obvious.

"I still don't see-oh, oh _now_ I see." She frowned, crossing both pairs of arms.

"What?"

"You're sending Flik on a phony trip just to get him out of the way? Atta, that's cruel and unusual, not to mention lying."

"He won't know that. He's so hyped up on finding bigger bugs to help us. I mean, what are the chances he'll actually find bigger bugs? And before Hopper gets here, to boot?"

"Hey, you never know."

"Mother said no one would help us ants."

"What about me? I'm not an ant, and I'd be happy to help."

"You'd be just one grasshopper against a whole group of grasshoppers. And you're wingless, if I might add. You wouldn't be able to get away. Besides, you're needed as Dot's guardian."

"I still think this is a nasty trick."

"It's not a trick. He'll be back soon. Hopefully, by then, Hopper will be here and gone, satisfied once again. I'm just looking out for the colony, Kimberly. If _you_ had the entire colony counting on you, you'd understand." She left Kimberly standing in the tunnel alone.

She sighed, brushing her antennae back. Atta was right in that she had the colony to think about. But Flik was part of the colony, despite being different and troublesome. She still thought it was horrible that he was going on a phony trip. She wondered if she should tell him, but decided not to. It would break his heart. She only hoped he would be successful. If not for his sake, for the colony.

* * *

**A/N After this, more specifically after Flik leaves, it'll be Kimberly's POV at the island. I'm not sure how much time passed, but I'm gonna say it took...eh, a few weeks, at least. They never really said, and I don't think it took a day to find the bugs. The city's pretty far away, and it would be two trips, despite the last being on flying insects. I might change it, or just time jump. Maybe you could give your opinion on how long it took?**

**Kimberly's a kind soul, and doesn't like lying. That's why she didn't like the fact that Atta tricked Flik into going. But she's willing to keep things secret for the good of others, though she feels guilty for the other party. Plus, she's remaining optimistic for Flik.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**The Queen of Water: Thanks :)**

**Guest: Thanks :)**

**Wolfe Animation: Well, I hope you like the rest of what's to come :)**

**...GENIUS! I can already feel my brain juices cooking up an idea for that! That is genius! I'll have to remember that! Thanks :D**

**Jame: Thanks :)**

* * *

The next morning, Kimberly—who was sleeping in one of the empty chambers—awoke to noises above. Her heart skipped a beat, worrying that the grasshoppers were back again. But then they stopped, and she heard cheering. Confused, she stepped out of the chamber and towards the entrance of the anthill. When she surfaced, she found ants putting leaves into the holes the grasshoppers made, and were filling them with stones and pounding them down with sticks. She sighed with relief.

"Morning, Kimberly! Bye, Kimberly!" Dot ran between Kimberly's legs and away from the anthill. "Flik's leaving today! Gotta go say goodbye!"

Kimberly then remembered about Flik's quest to the city to find bugs to help fight the grasshoppers. "Dot, wait for me!" She trotted after the young princess, and caught up as she heard her say, "Well, _I_ think he's gonna make it!"

"No one asked _your_ opinion, your royal shortness." Chris frowned. He and Michael were following Flik, who wore a hat and backpack made from leaves.

"Yeah, Dot," Michael agreed. "Whatta _you_ know?"

"Hey, easy now." Flik said, turning to walk backwards. "She's entitled to her opinion too."

"Everyone's opinion matters, boys." Kimberly agreed. "Good morning, Flik."

"Good morning, Kimberly." Flik turned around as everyone stopped on a cliff. Down below was the dry riverbed. On the other side was an enormous field of grass. Behind them were a few dandelions.

Flik moaned worriedly, looking down. "Shame I don't have my wings anymore," Kimberly remarked, looking down as well. "Then, I could have flown you across."

"That's all right, I already have an idea." Flik said, walking to a dandelion.

"Hey, the city's _that_ way." Chris protested.

"I know." Flik nodded, climbing up a dandelion.

"You're supposed to look for bugs, not dandelions!"

"You leave him alone," Dot scowled. "He knows what he's doing."

"That's right!" Flik agreed, plucking a single dandelion seed. "All right, here I go, for the colony, and for oppressed ants everywhere!" He leapt off of the flower weed, still gripping the stem of the seed, and braced his feet on the seed itself. He floated across the riverbed on the dandelion seed.

The ant children cheered and waved goodbye. "Good luck!" Kimberly yelled, cupping her mouth with her top hands, and waving with a bottom one.

"Good luck, Flik!" Dot shouted.

"Bye!" They heard him yell before he crashed into a rock.

"Flik!" Dot cried.

"Are you all right?" Kimberly asked.

It was very faint, but they heard him, "I'm okay!" As he crawled off of the rock, Chris sighed, "Dad's right, he's gonna die."

"Well, you just watch!" Dot said, putting her fists on her hips. "He's gonna get the roughest, gruffest bugs you ever seen!"

"I certainly hope so, Dot." Kimberly nodded, patting her head.

"I forgot to ask, but uh…how was Hopper?"

Kimberly raised an eyebrow. "Well…he's certainly quite a character. A rude, arrogant, bullying, brutish character, at that."

"What's a brute?"

"A nasty person. In fact, Hopper fits the definition."

"How come he likes you?" Chris asked.

"What? What do you mean?"

"He called you 'fine-looking,'" Michael said. "And he was touching your face."

"And he said he would see you in autumn." Chris added.

"I don't care if he's head over wings for me," Kimberly scowled as they turned and walked back to the anthill. "_I_ certainly don't like him one bit."

"What's head over wings mean?" Dot asked innocently.

Kimberly grimaced slightly. "Uh…Well,"

"It means he's in love with her." Chris said.

"Ew!" Dot squealed. "That's gross and scary!"

"Don't worry, Dot. As long as he stays the way he is, I won't ever be head over wings for him." _Even though he's quite handsome._

"Pinkie promise?" The young princess asked, holding out her pinkie finger.

"Pinkie promise." The yellowish grasshopper chuckled, curling her much larger pinkie finger around Dot's smaller one. "Now, I'm sure the ants repairing the damage don't want us bothering them. What should we do?"

"Hide-and-seek!" Dot exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"Not that," Chris groaned. "You know all our hiding places."

"But Kimberly doesn't." Michael pointed out.

"Please, Kimmy?" Dot pleaded, pulling her bottom arm. "Pretty please?"

"Well," Kimberly smiled slyly. "You _did_ say 'pretty please,'"

"Pretty please with berry juice on top?"

"…One, two, three," Kimberly began counting, closing her eyes. She heard the boys grumble, but three pairs of feet scampered away regardless.

"Four, five, six…"

"Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty!" Kimberly opened her eyes to find that she was the only one around. "Ready or not, here I come!" She walked around, keeping her eyes and ears open for the young ants. As she walked past a fallen leaf, she heard a snicker. Smiling, she tapped her chin. "Hmm, I think I hear a young ant giggling."

The snickering stopped, though it sounded muffled. Not moving her feet, Kimberly turned around and whipped the leaf away. "Gotcha!" She grinned upon seeing Michael.

He jumped, startled, but began laughing as Kimberly laughed as well. "That really wasn't my best hiding place."

"Ah, it was a good try. Let's find the others."

With Michael right behind, Kimberly walked around, looking and listening for the other ants. She was glancing in a hole in a large stick when the freckled-ant asked, "Um, Ms. Kimberly?"

"You don't need to say 'Ms.' But what is it?"

Michael pointed at a rock. Purple antennae poked out of the top. Winking, Kimberly crept to one side, and Michael tiptoed to the other side. They both yelled, "Gotcha!"

Chris jumped straight in the air, shouting. He scowled as Michael and Kimberly laughed. "Not funny!"

"It was kinda funny, Chris." Michael said, wiping a tear away.

Kimberly nodded, sighing. "Okay, now to find Dot."

"Kimmy?!"

Her antennae perked up. "Dot? Where are you?!"

"Over here! I found something!"

Kimberly followed the young princess's voice, with the boys right behind her. They found Dot in a patch of grass. "What's this?" She asked, pointing to a large, thin, nearly see-through sheet of material. It had oval-shaped indents, and was a light-brown color.

Kimberly gasped sharply. "Stay away from that!" She screamed, grabbing Dot up, hurriedly, in her top hands. She pushed the boys back with her bottom hands. "Don't touch it!"

"What's wrong?" Chris asked.

"What is it?" Dot asked, holding Kimberly's arms. Even though she was in the hands of another grasshopper, Kimberly's felt different from Hopper's. When she was in the latter's hands, they felt cold and frightening. Kimberly's hands, however, were warm and comforting.

"That's a snakeskin!" She whispered sharply. "I don't know how fresh it is, but where there's a snakeskin, there're…there are snakes!"

"Snakes?" Dot hugged the grasshopper's arms tighter.

"Let's go back and tell your mother. C'mon, boys, we're going back." She grabbed their hands and pulled them along to the anthill. She found Phyllis overlooking the ants, which were still repairing the holes in the ground. "Your majesty!" She trotted up to the queen, letting the boys' hands go. "Your majesty!"

"Kimberly?" Phyllis said, turning to her. "What's the matter?"

"We were playing hide-and-seek, the boys, Dot, and I, and Dot…she found a snakeskin."

Phyllis's eyes widened. "A snakeskin? Dot, is that true?"

"Yes, Mama." Dot nodded, still looking frightened. "It was big, a-and kinda see-through, and brown, and it had ovals on it."

"I see. May I see this snakeskin?"

Nodding, Kimberly let Dot down, and they led her mother to the snakeskin. "Kimmy said if there's a snakeskin, there's a snake." Dot said. "Is that true?"

"Yes, it's true," Phyllis nodded, examining the skin. "However, this snakeskin is quite old. The snake probably shed it in early spring, and crossed the lake before it dried. It's long gone by now. There's nothing to worry about."

Kimberly sighed with relief. "I-I'm sorry I overreacted."

"No, no, it's all right." Phyllis waved a hand, smiling kindly. "However, if you _do_ see a snake, Dot, don't let it see you. Come to me or Kimberly. Understood?"

"Yes, Mother." Dot nodded.

* * *

**A/N From here until Flik returns, it's gonna be uncharted territory...I think I already said that in my Epic fanfic XD But seriously, there's gonna be some new stuff between now and when the circus/warrior bugs come. I'm still open for ideas, though I probably won't do too many; I'll probably do two or three more things, with time-jumps here and there.**

**I didn't really plan to have Kimberly play hide-and-seek with the kids, and then Dot finds a snakeskin, and Kimberly freaks out. It just came to me as I wrote it. That's sometimes how my ideas play out.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**The Queen of Water: Yeah, she is. Thanks :)**

**hellgirl-fan1: Glad you love it :)**

**Wolfe Animation: Well, I hope this chapter was worth waiting for :D I may/may not put in a legit snake attack, and if I do, it'll be much later in the story; probably after the movie's done. I don't know. I'm trying to space out the plot points I have.**

* * *

A few days afterwards, Phyllis told Kimberly that Dot would be spending the day with her and Atta, so the yellowish grasshopper had the day off to do whatever she wanted. "You can stay in the anthill, or you could help with the gathering," She said. "Or you could just walk around the island, if you wish. Keep an eye out for snakes though. I didn't want to frighten Dot, but you were right in fearing a snake could be nearby when you found a snakeskin."

"I understand." Kimberly nodded. "I'll be careful."

"Good. Have a nice day." Phyllis smiled.

Kimberly decided she would explore the island by herself. Since she couldn't fly, she couldn't get a bird's eye view. But she was able to jump onto plants. Being a grasshopper, she had very long legs, and though she could no longer fly, she was a good jumper.

She was currently jumping on the clovers in the clover forest, looking out for any signs that Flik was returning. It had only been a few days, so he probably only just got to the city. But Kimberly didn't know how far away the city was, so it was only an estimate.

As she leapt onto a tall rock, something, or rather someone, grabbed her from behind, gripping both of her hands behind her back, and held a hand over her mouth before she could scream. "Shhh." A voice hissed from behind.

Her eyes widened. _Hopper?! Here?! What is he doing here?!_

"I'm here on peaceful business." He whispered, tracing a free finger down one of her antennae. She twitched it away, though he didn't seem to notice. "I wanted to speak to you in private before I officially leave. No one knows we're here but us. Now, then, if you promise not to scream and alert your ant _friends_, I'll let you go. Agreed?" He spat out the word "friends" as if it were poison.

Kimberly scowled under the male grasshopper's hand. She managed to look over her shoulder and glare at him. Indeed her hazel eyes met his brown one. The blind eye was clouded over and dark, but still seemed to function normally, aside from being unable to see.

"I assure you I will not harm you or the ants…today." He said in a slight warning tone. "I just want to talk, grasshopper to grasshopper. Don't scream, and I won't harm anyone. Blink twice so I know you understand."

Her scowl not faltering, Kimberly reluctantly blinked twice. "Good girl." He said huskily, finally letting her go.

She whipped around so she could see Hopper. "Quite jumpy, are we?" He asked, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.

"More like distrusting." She answered, not smiling at all.

"Why, you don't trust me?" He asked in a mock-shocked tone, laying a hand on his chest.

"No. I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw you. And that's not far, seeing as I'm not very strong. What are you doing here? What do you want? The ants haven't gathered enough food, if you're curious."

"I know. I don't quite expect them to gather enough food in merely a few days when I said we would be back in autumn." He said. "No, I came here to talk to you."

"Me? Why me?"

"I've never met a female grasshopper quite like you, Kimberly. Not just because you live with ants. It's your attitude. I can tell you're quite the feisty female." He began to slowly circle around her as he spoke. "And as I said before, I like a feisty female. You have a certain feminine charm that I like as well." He traced a claw along her jaw line and down to her chin, making her shudder. "Not to mention you're a very attractive, beautiful young grasshopper."

"You probably spew that dung out to all the females." Kimberly drawled.

"Not usually. As I said, you're unlike any female I've ever met." Hopper said, finally stopping in front of her.

"Well, I'm flattered." She said in a sarcastic tone. "You're such a charmer. But that still doesn't answer why you're here, or what you want."

"All right, I'll cut to the chase. You don't need to be with these ants, Kimberly. You deserve to be with other grasshoppers."

"And by others, you mean you?" She could feel nervous butterflies in her stomach again.

"You're smart. Another thing I like about you." He grinned. "Join me, Kimberly. Become a part of my gang. Not only will you be with other grasshoppers, but if you play your cards right, you could have both luxury and power. Being on the arm of one of the most powerful insects will do you good in life." He cupped her cheek in a top hand, and sandwiched one of her hands between his lower ones. "What say you, my dear?"

"What do I say? I say you can take all that dung you just said and shove it up where the sun doesn't shine!" Kimberly spat, jumping back with a scowl. "How dare you! After that display you gave when I first met you? Forget it! I don't care if you're the most powerful insect in the whole world! I will _never_ be affiliated with you! _Ever_! Do you hear me?!"

"Yes, I hear you." Hopper scowled. "If you yelled any louder, those ants will come running. But that doesn't matter at the moment."

"Like hell it doesn't! You just take your offer and get out of here before I kick you clear off of this island." She snarled in a lower voice, not wanting the ants to come and get the wrong idea. She was already on thin ice with them by just being a grasshopper. "Even if you make the same offer to me when you come this autumn, the answer will be the same: no, I will _never_ join you. Ever."

"We'll see, Ms. Kimberly. We'll see. Again, I'll see you this autumn." He took one of her top hands and kissed the back of it, much to her dismay. He only watched with a slight smirk as she pulled her hand and shook it like she was shaking water off. "Think long and hard about my offer, and consider this: those ants will never accept you. They'll always be wary and hateful of grasshoppers, no matter how friendly you may seem to them. Not even the queen will accept you." With a farewell nod, Hopper took off to the skies and soon disappeared into the distance.

"Screw _you_, One-Eye!" She snapped, though she knew he couldn't hear her. She shuddered, remembering his hand on her cheek and his lips on her hand. She spit in two other hands and wiped off her cheek and hand, shuddering again. "I hate that grasshopper." She muttered. "I don't care that he _was_ charming, or that he's handsome, I _hate_ him so much! I _dread_ the day he returns in the autumn!"

* * *

Kimberly had gone back to the anthill in a huff. She had snapped that nothing was wrong when Phyllis asked if something was wrong, though she apologized later after she cooled down. "I think I was just having a bad day." She explained, not wanting to tell her Hopper had asked her to join his gang.

"We all have them, dear. Sometimes, we just need to be alone for a while to cool down." Phyllis had said understandingly.

During the days that followed, Kimberly was able to push Hopper to the back of her mind as she helped gather food—the ants still gave her wary and angry glares, though she learned to ignore them—and played with Dot. The young princess continued to try and fly, despite her mother and sister telling her she was too young. "I'll never fly!" She yelled, throwing a random rock.

"Sure, you will." Kimberly said. "It'll just take some time."

"Easy for _you_ to say. You've been flying longer than me, and you don't even have wings anymore." Dot slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. "I'm so sorry, Kimmy! I didn't mean it!"

"I know." She nodded, only feeling a little hurt. "You're frustrated, I get it. I was that way when _I_ was a nymph."

"What's a nymph?"

"A baby grasshopper. Thusly, I was anxious to fly when I was your age. But you'll get there in no time. By the time you're flying, you'll forget what it's like to not be able to fly."

"What's it like? To fly, I mean."

"Well, it's…you know, I have an idea on how to show you."

"Show me? How? Y-you don't have wings." She said in a small voice.

Kimberly twitched her wing stumps. They had healed the day before the grasshoppers first came, and looked like short, leafless twigs. They were completely hidden under her hardened wings, but if she spread all four pairs, it was painfully obvious that she didn't have the membrane wings needed to fly. "I know, but just trust me." She said, crouching down. She picked up the small ant around the middle, and sat her on her shoulders. "Hang on, but please don't pull my antennae." She stood up and began walking around. "Since I'm so tall, it feels like you're flying, huh?"

"Yeah!" Dot nodded, grinning widely. "Go faster!"

Kimberly began trotting, making sure to hold onto Dot's legs with her top hands in case she let go of her exoskeleton. The young royal ant laughed with glee, kicking her legs. "Faster! Start jumping!"

Kimberly bit her lip nervously, but finally said, "Hang on tight!" She crouched down and jumped up high, landing far from her starting point.

Dot exclaimed slightly in surprise, but laughed as Kimberly sailed through the air and landed on her feet, and jumped again. She squealed and cheered happily, still clinging to the grasshopper's exoskeleton. Still holding Dot's legs, Kimberly moved so her lower hands and feet were on the ground when she landed before a jump.

Finally, Kimberly stopped and stood up straight. "All right, I think that's enough mock-flying for today." She said, lifting Dot down to the ground.

"That was fun!" She giggled. "Now I can't _wait_ to fly!"

"Just be patient, young grasshopper."

"I'm not a grasshopper."

"It's just an expression." Kimberly shook her head. "It usually refers to someone who's barely schooled, or hasn't accomplished a skill. It doesn't matter whether they're a grasshopper or not."

* * *

**A/N I've been distracted by my Epic fanfic, but I managed to write out the next chapter for this story. It's becoming more popular than I thought, seeing as A Bug's Life doesn't have many fanfics (don't let the number of fanfics fool you; even though it says there are 78, there are only 73, including mine. I don't know why the number's screwed up)**

**An anonymous reviewer by the name of Wolfe Animation gave me the idea for Hopper briefly returning to the island to try and convince Kimberly to join his gang. I thought that was an awesome idea, and used it in this chapter. He's not too subtle that he's in love with her, if you can call it "love." But despite the fact that Kimberly thinks he's attractive and charming, she's still got a grudge for his attitude when he and his gang visited days earlier.**

**I'm out of ideas for what happens between when Flik leaves and returns, but I managed to squeeze in a little bonding time between Kimberly and Dot, as well as describe what the former's wings look like now.**

**Next chapter, it'll time-jump to when Flik returns, and the movie will start again. The next non-canon ideas will be when the bird's being built, seeing as that took a while; the leaves turning color were the clock, since the seasons were transitioning from summer to fall.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**VoiceUnheard98: Thanks :D I always try and do my best with my fanfics.**

**hellgirl-fan1: Thanks :)**

**Guest: Thanks :D That won't be revealed until much later ;)**

**WolfeAnimation: Cool :D Glad you liked the last chapter.**

**Not gonna lie, your review was so big, it kinda startled me XD I'm not revealing too much, including if Hopper will be turned good or not. But one can probably predict whether he will be turned or not, due to my MO of turning villains to the good side.**

**Kimberly WILL be involved in the secret that the warrior bugs are really circus bugs, and will also be involved in the bird attack. I've already written it, though I'll probably post the chapter tomorrow because I don't really like posting multiple chapters of one story per day. Plus, it'll give me time to proofread and actually finish it, since it isn't quite finished :3**

**I won't spoil too much, but I can say confidently that Kimmy's staying on Ant Island during the grasshoppers' second coming. I think it'll be pretty interesting...**

* * *

It had been about two weeks since Flik left, and he still wasn't back with bugs to help fight off the grasshoppers. In the past few days, Atta had been glancing smugly at Kimberly. The grasshopper ignored her, but was struggling to keep her hopes up about Flik succeeding in his mission. She only hoped that if he didn't return, the ants would be able to gather enough food to keep the grasshoppers, and more importantly Hopper, satisfied.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be enough food to make the offering, much less doubled. And the ants were growing weak and tired. Not to mention the leaves on the huge tree were starting to fall, meaning that time was running out.

Kimberly was sitting with Dot on a clover. The young princess was looking around through the telescope Flik made her, keeping an eye out for the ant. She seemed to be the only one with high hopes for Flik. "Hey, look who's playing lookout again." Chris said from the ground. "Little Speck!"

"The name is Dot." She frowned, glancing down.

"Well, _Spot_, you still looking for Flik?"

"Forget it, Dot," Michael shook his head. "That loser's never coming back!"

"Don't listen to them." Kimberly shook her head. "He'll come back." _I hope._

Dot looked through her telescope again. Then, she gasped, "Flik! He did it!" She bounced on the clover. "He did it!"

"What?!" Kimberly exclaimed, taking the telescope and looking through. She saw several bugs flying towards the island: a praying mantis, a gypsy moth, a ladybug holding a stick bug, and a rhinoceros beetle holding a caterpillar, and with two pill bugs on his back. Flik was with the pill bugs.

"He's back!" Kimberly exclaimed, squealing childishly. "He has the bugs! We're saved!"

As the bugs flew by and past the clover forest, Kimberly and Dot saw Flik wave at them. "He did it! He did it! He did it!" Dot cried, jumping from clover to clover, following the bugs.

"Dot, slow down!" Kimberly laughed, following the little ant. "They'll be there by the time we get to the anthill!"

Indeed, as Kimberly and Dot exited the clover forest, the bugs had already landed. Flik was calling out to the hiding ants to come out and meet the warrior bugs. "Flik!" Dot yelled, running to hug the blue ant. "You did it, you're back! I knew you could do it!"

"Flik, you're amazing!" Kimberly exclaimed. "I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks, Kimberly." Flik grinned. "Guys, this is Princess Dot, and Ms. Kimberly. It's okay, she's with us."

"Yeah, she's my babysitter!" Dot nodded, tugging on her lower hand.

"Well, that's kinda true." She shrugged. "And there's no need for the 'Ms.' Just my regular name is fine."

The other ants began to gather around the warrior bugs. "Hey, guys, check this out!" Flik said, nodding at the gypsy moth.

She turned from the ants and opened her large wings, which were orange-brown with yellow spots resembling eyes. The ants gasped and jumped in shock. "Oh, my ticker!" Cornelius exclaimed, laying a hand on his chest.

"Wow! I wish _I_ had wings like those." Kimberly said admiringly. "Heck, I wish I had my wings, period."

Chris and Michael walked up to the stick bug and ladybug. "So, what are you supposed to be?" Michael asked the taller bug.

"He's a stick, stupid!" Chris snapped. "You hit bugs with him."

"Well, that's an oversimplification." The stick bug said.

"That's right, kids," The ladybug said in what Kimberly thought was a manly-sounding voice. "Like this!" She grabbed the stick bug and smacked him on the ground, much to the longer insect's protests.

Some of Dot's Blueberry Scout friends walked under the huge rhinoceros beetle. "Uh-oh. Kids, he's kinda ticklish." A black widow spider, who was riding the beetle when they flew in, said as the beetle began laughing, tickled by the young ants' antennae. The kids ran out, screaming, as he stomped his feet, laughing harder. "Let's come on out, careful."

Phyllis approached Flik and Kimberly, laughing. "Well, my boy, you came through." She said. "Aphie and I are very impressed."

"Everyone, this is the queen of Ant Island, Queen Phyllis." Kimberly introduced.

"Delighted to make your acquaintance, your majesty." The mantis said in an English accent as well, taking Phyllis's hand and kissing the back of it. "I am Manto, though my friends call me Manny. And this is my wife, Gypsy." He nodded at the gypsy moth.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Kimberly nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, in fact."

"Atta! Atta!" Dot said, bouncing over to her sister, who had come out of the anthill with the other council members. "Did you see that really big bug over there?!"

Kimberly raised an eyebrow, not helping but to smirk smugly at Atta. _Though Flik couldn't do it, hmm? Feeling fooled and guilty you couldn't trust him, eh?_

Atta turned to a huddle with the council members. As they seemed to be rapidly talking, the ladybug flew up onto the rhino beetle's nose. "Your majesty, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, our troupe here guarantees a performance like no other! Why, when your grasshopper friends get here, we are gonna knock. Them. Dead!"

The ants cheered loudly at that. Kimberly applauded as well, smiling widely.

Later, the warrior bugs were invited to a small celebration. Everyone had been introduced: Slim the stick bug, Francis the ladybug, Heimlich the caterpillar, Dim the rhino beetle, Rosie the spider, Manny the praying mantis, Gypsy the gypsy moth, and Tuck and Roll the pill bug twins.

Everyone was seated as a few ants were playing lively upbeat music. Phyllis had insisted Kimberly sit with her and Atta, seeing as she was close to Dot, and thus the royal family. She finally agreed, and was currently sitting between Phyllis and Gypsy, tapping her foot to the beat. "Honey, relax," She heard Phyllis say to Atta. "You should be proud of yourself. Your instincts on that boy were right on the money."

Kimberly didn't have the heart to tell the older ant that Atta had tricked Flik into going, thinking he would be gone for weeks.

Soon, the music ended. As soon as the applause ended, Phyllis said, "And to make our official welcome complete, Mr. Soil?"

"Yes, your highness." He said, stepping forward. The young ants came up, holding a rolled-up leaf.

"He's our resident thespian." Phyllis said to Gypsy. "Last year, he played the lead in _Picnic_."

"The children, and myself, have quickly put together a little presentation in honor of our guests. Dot, Reed, Daisy, Grub?"

"Oh, aren't they adorable?" Gypsy cooed. "Ooh, they're so cute!"

Kimberly and Flik waved at Dot, who quickly waved back as one of her classmates said, "The South Tunnel Elementary School, second grade class, would like to present you with this: a mural we have drawn of you bugs helping us to fight the grasshoppers away."

The kids unrolled the leaf, revealing it to be a long mural of the bugs fighting against the grasshoppers in bloody carnage.

Kimberly chuckled lightly as Dot pointed out, "We drew one of you dying because our teacher said it would be more dramatic. Don't worry, Kimmy, you don't die. See? You're beating up Hopper, kinda like how you did before."

The ants applauded as Mr. Soil, playing a lute, said, "I tell you a tale of heroes so bold, who vanquished our grasshopper enemies of old." The kids moved the mural away, revealing a little play of the warrior bugs fighting off the grasshoppers. Dot was even dressed as Kimberly, making the yellowish grasshopper smile warmly.

As soon as the play was over, the ants cheered again. Mr. Soil bowed, thanking the crowd. "Okay, honey, you're up." Phyllis said to Atta.

She stood up nervously. "We're all very grateful to have the warriors-" She stopped as the last two words were amplified by a megaphone Flik made from a stick and leaf. She glanced at Flik, who gave her a smile and a thumbs up. "Thanks." She muttered, then spoke in the megaphone again, "I'd like to thank the warriors for helping us in our fight against the grasshoppers."

Kimberly raised an eyebrow as soon as she noticed Slim, Francis, Heimlich, and Rosie arguing. She shrugged it off as Atta continued, "Secondly, I would like to thank _Flik_," She looked down her nose at him. "For his forthright thinking-"

"Thank you, your highness." He said, taking the megaphone. "Oh, sure, I'd like to take credit for all of this, but that wouldn't be right. Because it was you, Princess Atta. You believed in me."

Kimberly watched as Atta grinned nervously. "Feeling guilty, huh?" She muttered to the purple ant.

"Shut up." Atta hissed as Flik continued to talk. "I didn't think he'd actually do it!"

"Guess that goes to show that when you put your mind to it, you can do anything." Kimberly remarked.

"Your highness!" Flik exclaimed, dropping the megaphone and running to Atta. "The warriors have called for a secret meeting to plan for a circus-_circumventing_ the oncoming hordes so they can trapeze-_trap them_ with ease!"

"Shouldn't I come too?" Atta asked.

"No!" Flik laughed nervously. "No, classified in the DMZ. Gotta go ASAP, y'know, BYOB. Bye!"

Kimberly and Atta both narrowed their eyes suspiciously as Flik and the warrior bugs left. "BYOB?" Atta muttered.

"DMZ?" Kimberly said. "Something smells fishy." She stood up and snuck after the insects. She heard Flik yell pleadingly to the warrior bugs as they walked deeper into the grass. "Flik!" She yelled, approaching them. "What is going on?"

"Wh-whatever do you mean?" He asked.

"You're acting very suspicious. What's wrong?"

"Well, I kinda sorta gotcircusbugsinsteadofwarriorbugs!"

Even though he talked quickly, Kimberly was able to decipher what he said. "Circus bugs? What? Flik," She groaned. "This time, you've really goofed up."

"I know! But what am I supposed to do?"

"Just go tell zem ze truth." Heimlich shrugged in a German accent.

Kimberly nodded in agreement. "And at least explain that it's a misunderstanding."

"The truth?! No, I can't tell them the truth!" Flik exclaimed. "I will be branded with this mistake for the rest of my life! My children's children will walk down the street, and people will point and say, 'Look! There goes the spawn of Flik the Loser!'" He then sighed, "Oh, you know, all right, fine. Just go. But if you could do me a favor before you leave," He lay down on the ground and pulled one of Dim's feet onto his head. "If you could just squish me, that would be great. 'Cause when they find out, I'm as good as dead."

"Flik, please don't talk like that." Kimberly shook her head. "Please? I-I don't like it. Besides-"

"Flik!"

"Atta's looking for you." She groaned as Flik gasped and jumped up. They both pushed blades of grass aside as Atta continued to shout, "I really think I should be part of this meeting. Flik!"

Flik exclaimed in surprise when Atta's face was revealed. "Princess! What a nice…surprise." He grinned.

"Just what exactly is going on?" She asked, trying to look over his shoulder. He blocked her view with his head though. "I would like to speak with these so-called 'warriors.'"

"You can't! They're in the middle of a top-secret meeting right now, and they really shouldn't be disturbed right now. Right, guys?"

When he and Kimberly looked, the bugs were disappearing over the hill. Flik gasped and grinned nervously at Atta, stammering, "Could you ex-pl-could you excuse me, please?" He whipped around and ran after the bugs, crying out, "Wait, wait, wait! Please, don't go!"

"I'm not going anywhere." Atta said, thinking Flik was talking to her. "What is going on?" She pushed a blade aside, only to find the area empty, save for Kimberly. "Flik? Flik?!" She groaned in frustration. "Kimberly, what is going on?"

"Uh…"

"Forget it. I knew it! I need to get Mother. Go after them and find out what's going on!"

Before Kimberly could say anything, Atta was gone. She brushed her antennae back, groaning worriedly. "Flik, you owe me for keeping this thing a secret!" She muttered, running in the direction of the insects, not knowing she was headed for a disaster.

* * *

**A/N I finished this chapter really fast yesterday, but decided to post it today, and work on the next chapter, which is the bird attack. THAT chapter will come at least tomorrow, because I don't really like posting multiple chapters in one story per day; I like to space them out a bit to allow people to read the newest chapters.**

**As I said, Kimberly's gonna be involved in the secret of the "warrior bugs." It'll just make the story easier and more interesting with more than just Flik knowing that the warrior bugs are really circus bugs.**

**EDIT: So, apparently, Slim DOESN'T have an English accent. I know the guy (David Hyde Pierce) is American, but Slim sounded like he had kind of an English accent. Guess not. So, it's changed.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**voiceunheard98: Thanks :) Atta just doesn't like or trust Kimberly, since she's a grasshopper. Plus, I have a feeling Atta's the type of person who hates being proven wrong.**

**J: Changed that. Thanks.**

* * *

Kimberly ran to the edge of the riverbank, eventually leaping down and over the huge cracks in the ground. "Flik! Flik, come back! Fli-ahh! Bird!" She screamed, skidding momentarily to a stop.

A huge orange and yellow bird was flying after Flik and the circus bugs, which were frantically flying away. Kimberly whipped around and leapt away, eyes wide with fear. Even though snakes were the most feared thing on her list, birds were a close second. In fact, they were an enemy to all insects.

She froze again when she heard screaming. Looking up, she saw something small falling. Her eyes widened even more, and she screamed, "Dot! No!" She ran back, keeping her eyes on the quickly-falling ant.

Luckily, Francis had seen her falling too, and was flying backwards, arms stretched out to catch her. "I gotcha! I gotcha!" She yelled. "I gotcha, I gotcha!"

Dot fell into the ladybug's arms; at the same time, Kimberly accidentally fell against both insects, causing them all to fall into a crack in the riverbed. Kimberly landed on her front, groaning and rubbing her head. She sat up and looked over her shoulder to see Francis knocked unconscious, with one of her legs pinned under a rock. "Oh no!" She exclaimed. She saw Dot sitting behind the ladybug. "Dot, are you all right?"

"Yeah." She nodded, gasping when she saw Francis. "Wake up!" She cried, shaking the ladybug.

Kimberly exclaimed in shock and horror as the bird sat above them, looking down. She bravely stood over both insects, yelling at the bird, "Go away! Get outta here!"

"Please, ma'am, wake up! Wake up!" Dot pleaded, still shaking Francis. She and Kimberly screamed as the bird began pecking at them. Kimberly kicked the rock off of Francis's leg as Dot somehow dragged her into a gap under the crack. "Help! Help! Kimmy," She whimpered. "What're we gonna do?"

"I dunno. It's gonna be okay, sweetie." She said, crawling underneath the crack. "It'll be okay." She glared at the bird, shouting, "Go away! Get away from us! Shoo!" She cocked her head as the bird turned and hopped away. "Did that really do it?"

"Look!" Dot pointed to the sky.

Looking, Kimberly saw Dim flying towards the crack, with Manny and Flik on his back, and holding Rosie underneath. Rosie had a net, with Tuck and Roll clinging to it. "Downd here!" Kimberly yelled, coming out and waving her arms. "Ladybug down!"

As Dim hovered over the crack, Flik climbed down to the net, and Rosie lowered it into the crack. "Flik!" Dot cried as Flik, Tuck, and Roll jumped to the ground.

"It's gonna be okay, Dot." Flik said, lifting Dot into his arms.

"Francis's leg was pinned under a rock." Kimberly said as she helped the pill bugs carry Francis into the net. "I think it's broken." She crouched down and leapt onto Dim, climbing onto his back and joining Manny. "What happened to the bird?"

"Slim and Heimlich are distracting it." He explained. "Gypsy will be assisting them as well. Why couldn't you fly them out of there?"

"Kinda hard, since I don't have wings." She said, turning and spreading her wings.

"Good heavens! What happened to them?"

"I'll explain later." She said as Dim took off, lifting the net, which was now carrying Flik, Dot, Francis, Tuck, and Roll. "Francis's leg was broken when a rock landed on it. She was knocked unconscious too."

"He," Manny corrected. "Francis is a male. Don't let him hear that you mistook him for a female. He hates it."

"Oh." She said. "I-I guess since he's a ladybug,"

"A common mistake, child. _Too_ common, in fact." Both insects gasped as Dim began to dip down.

"What's happening?!" Kimberly exclaimed, gripping the rhino beetle's head.

"I don't know!" Manny said, looking down. He gasped, "Oh no! They've nearly fallen out of the net!"

"What?!" Kimberly looked down, gasping when she saw the insects hanging out of the net. Francis's wings were caught in the netting, the pill bug twins' legs were entangled in the net as well, and Flik was holding Francis's antennae in one hand, and Dot in his free arm.

Kimberly looked behind them and screamed, "The bird! The bird's headed for us!" She looked ahead, eyes widening when she saw they were headed for a cliff. "Up!" She yelled, patting Dim's head. "Fly up! Fly up!"

Dim flew up as fast as he could into a bramble bush and landed in the leaves. The bird tried to fly in, but accidentally grabbed a thorny branch. It squealed in pain and frustration, and flew away. Everyone sighed with relief. "Dot, baby, are you okay?" Kimberly asked.

Dot nodded, wide-eyed. "What were you doing? Trying to fly again?"

"I-I saw the warrior bugs flying away, and I was on a dandelion," Dot explained in a small voice. "I tried to fly, but I fell on a dandelion seed. It was flying over the riverbed, and the bird knocked me off."

Kimberly shook her head. "Well, at least Francis and I saw you. Everything's gonna be all right now."

"What is that sound?" Rosie asked.

Kimberly's antennae perked up at a low rumbling. "That, my friends, is the sound of applause!" Manny exclaimed.

Looking down through the bramble branches, everyone saw the ant colony applauding loudly. Everyone climbed on Dim, who flew down to the ground. Everyone climbed off and bowed to the ants. "Applause, I'm in heaven." Francis sighed happily.

* * *

Later, Francis's broken leg was cast, and he was currently residing in the infirmary, with the rest of the circus bugs. Flik, Kimberly, Atta, and Dot and the other Blueberry Scouts were there too, visiting. "Our Blueberry troop salutes you bugs for rescuing our smallest member, Princess Dot." The Blueberry Scout leader said. "And as a tribute to Ms. Francis, we've changed our bandannas!"

The girls turned to show their leaf bandannas, which now were spotted like a ladybug's shell. "We voted you our honorary den mother!" Dot grinned. The girls crowded around Francis, cheering for him.

He groaned in frustration. Kimberly covered her mouth with her fingertips, chuckling lightly. "Should we tell the girls he's actually a den _father_?" She asked Slim.

"Nah, let them have their fun." He shook his head. "He'll probably tell them sooner or later."

"Kimmy! Kimmy!" Dot exclaimed, bouncing over. "Look! I made the spots on mine look like the ones on your legs!" She turned to show that her bandanna had six spots: three round ones, and three long ones.

"Aw, Dot, that's sweet." Kimberly smiled. "My spots and I are honored." She patted the princess's head, making her giggle.

"All right, girls, let's move your keisters outta here now." Dr. Flora said. "The patient needs her rest, you know."

Dot hugged Kimberly before following her friends out of the infirmary. "Excuse me, Flik?" Atta asked. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Huh?" Flik looked up from looking at Francis's leg cast. "Oh, sure." He nodded, standing up and accidentally knocking over the stick propping up Francis's leg. He cried out in pain.

"Again, thank you all very, very much." Atta said to the circus bugs.

The bugs shook their heads modestly as the ants left. "Sorry about that," Kimberly said, re-propping Francis's leg. "Flik tends to get excitable."

"You know, we still don't know why we're here." Slim said. "All we know is we have to fight grasshoppers."

"If we have to fight them, why are _you_ here?" Francis asked Kimberly.

"And what happened to your wings?" Manny added, remembering their brief conversation on Dim.

"What's wrong with her wings?" Gypsy asked.

"Well, the ants need to give this gang of grasshoppers a yearly offering." Kimberly explained. "This year, Flik accidentally knocked it into the river. Now, the ants need to gather double the offering by autumn. Flik got the idea to find warrior bugs to fend off the grasshoppers for good. And, I don't know how, but he got you guys."

"He must've seen our Robin Hood act and got the wrong message." Francis muttered.

"I came here before it happened. I'm not a part of the gang, but the ants did, and when I wouldn't tell them about the gang's leader, Hopper…they chopped my wings off." She said solemnly, twitching her wing stumps.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Gypsy exclaimed, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm here because Queen Phyllis offered me a job as Dot's babysitter. A fine job I did today." She said bitterly, crossing her arms.

"It's all right, dear," Rosie said. "Accidents happen. Luckily, everyone came out unscathed…more or less."

Kimberly smiled weakly. "Well, now we're in a bigger mess. If the ants don't gather enough food by the time the last leaf falls from the tree, Hopper's gonna be really pissed, pardon my French."

"He's really that precise?" Slim asked.

"And easily angered. I…didn't really help. He was flirting with me, and I…I smacked and spit in his face." Her antennae lowered and she smiled weakly as the insects chuckled.

"I'm starting to like you." Francis laughed. "You got a real attitude."

"Unfortunately, my attitude won't keep him away. I have a feeling he's not afraid of anything."

"Hopper's afraid of birds!" Flik exclaimed, jumping back into the infirmary.

"Really?" Kimberly said. _Nice timing, buddy._

"And I don't blame him!" Francis snapped.

"Oh, this is perfect! We can get rid of Hopper, and no one has to know I screwed up. You guys just keep pretending you're warrior bugs!"

"Whoa, Flik, honey," Rosie said, holding up her hands. "We're not about to fight grasshoppers."

"You'll be long gone by the time they get here." Flik assured them. "Here's what we'll do-"

"Ah-ah! Not another word!" Manny interrupted huffily. "I don't know what you're concocting in that little ant brain of yours, but we'll have _no_ part in it."

"Give him a chance, Manny," Kimberly said. "I'm sure he was the one who got the idea for distracting the bird with Heimlich and Slim, while you, he, and Dim saved Dot, Francis, and I."

"Yes, but that's no matter-"

"Excuse me?" Chris and Michael were peeking into the infirmary, each holding a leaf. "Could we get the warriors' autographs?"

"Autographs?!" Heimlich exclaimed happily, grabbing a pen. "Ja!"

The boys clambered in excitedly, handing the leaves to each of the bugs for them to sign. "So, you fellas catch the action today?" Francis asked.

"Whoa, the bird went like, shwoom!" Chris exclaimed. "And it just missed you!"

"And the way you pretended to be stuck in that crack!" Michael added.

"Oh, all just part of ze plan." Heimlich chuckled.

"And then you dive-bombed into the bush!"

"Luckily, the bird didn't follow." Kimberly remarked, shivering as she remembered barely escaping the feathered monster.

"There you go, my boy." Manny said, handing the freshly-signed papers to the boys.

"Wow, thanks!" Chris exclaimed, trying to read what the mantis wrote.

"That's Major Manny, young cadet." He explained. He then muttered behind his hand, "I outrank everyone here. Remember that."

"Yes sir!" Both boys saluted.

"Dismissed!"

"Wow!" The boys exclaimed. "When I grow up, I'm gonna be a praying mantis!"

"_I'm_ gonna be a stick bug!"

"They're all so cool, I can't pick!"

The circus bugs all looked very flattered and pleased at the attention from the boy ants. "Delightful lads." Manny chuckled. "Eh, you were saying, Flik?"

Kimberly smiled as Flik said, "All right, we are going to build a bird, a bird that we can operate from the inside, which would be then…"

"…hoisted above the anthill, and hidden high into the tree." Manny, Slim, Gypsy, and Kimberly were helping to tell Flik's plan to the council members. "Then, right when Hopper and his gang are below, we'll launch the bird, and _scare_ off the grasshoppers! Now, it's going to take everyone's involvement…"

"…to make this plan a reality." Atta later said to all of the ants via megaphone. "I know it's not tradition to do things differently. But if our ancestors were able to build this anthill, we can certainly band together to build this bird!"

The entire ant colony cheered in response. Kimberly grinned at Flik, feeling a bubble of hope grow in her chest. All hope was not lost after all.

* * *

**A/N This chapter was kinda fun to write. I decided to have Kimberly fall into the crack with Dot and Francis (since nearly everyone mistakes Francis for a girl, with him being a ladybug, I had Kimberly do the same until proven wrong) Unfortunately, since her wings are basically stumps, she can't fly them out.**

**I kinda had trouble figuring out how I would write the dialogue at the end of this chapter, but just rolled with it, playing it out like how it was in the film.**

**After this until the bird is finished, the chapters are gonna be combinations of canon/noncanon. The max'll probably be two at the most, or maybe three if I get some good ideas. Kimmy'll be getting a new addition to her design, and after the bird is finished, we'll get a special POV. If you've seen the movie, you'll have an idea of where the POV will take place, and maybe even WHOSE POV it'll be ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**WolfeAnimation: It's fine, I like long reviews :) I was just startled because I haven't gotten a review of that length in a long time. But anyway, thanks :D**

**Rachel: I do plan on continuing past the end of the movie, but I'm afraid I won't be focusing on Atta and Flik.**

**J: No, you didn't offend me :) I just thought David Hyde Pierce had an English accent. Apparently, I'm not good at deciphering accents XD I think it's nice that people who are fans of ABL and shows that have the actors/actresses who were also in ABL are able to help writers, like me, with little facts. So, Thanks again :)**

* * *

The next morning, everyone got to work on making the bird. A large area was cleared out in front of the anthill to build the bird. Thorny drew and cut out a hole in the shape of a bird with its wings spread out in a leaf. Gypsy and Manny took the leaf and flew up high, holding the leaf flat so the sun shown through the hole, creating a shadow on the ground, with the hole in the shape and size of the bird. Kimberly looked at the shadow through her fingers and thumbs in a square shape, gesturing for Gypsy and Manny to fly higher or lower with her lower hands. Finally, she gave an okay sign to Thorny. "Perfect!" He yelled in the shell that had been used to alert the ants of the grasshoppers in the past.

"Okay! Hit your mark!" Atta said through her megaphone to the ants and other bugs holding sticks.

The insects laid their sticks down on the ground tracing the shadow of the bird. Once that was done, the leaf was taken away, leaving a bird-shape outlined by sticks.

Dim carried a few huge sticks and set them in the middle of the bird, making the base for the floor of the bird. Meanwhile, two ants climbed up into the tree, found a good-sized acorn, and pushed it off of a high branch onto a sharp rock, cutting it in half and knocking off the cap. The halves were hollowed out to be used as the bird's beak. A walnut was found, and half of the shell was attached for the head, and one acorn shell was glued on, while the other was attached merely by its corners so the beak could open realistically.

More sticks were gathered and used for the body, tail, and wings of the bird. Rosie tied everything on the base together with her strong spider web silk, and the wings were loosely tied so they could still flap like a real bird's wings would.

The process took several days. One night, Kimberly found Dot with her Blueberry Scout friends visiting Francis, as they usually did. They were playing poker, and playing for small seeds. Humorously, Dot was winning. "What are you girls doing?" Kimberly asked.

"Ms. Francis taught us to play cards." Dot explained. "And I'm winning."

Kimberly raised an eyebrow at Francis. "I presume it was _Ms._ Francis's idea?"

"Hey, it's just harmless fun. 'Sides, it keeps us all entertained, especially me, since I can't walk around yet." Francis shrugged. "How's the bird coming along?"

"Really good. We have the base and wings pretty much finished. We just need something for the eyes, and to gather leaves for feathers. With the leaves on the tree turning orange, we can make the fake bird look like the real one that attacked us."

"Don't remind me, please?" The ladybug asked. "As for the eyes, maybe nut shells?"

"That could work. I'll keep my eyes peeled. All right, girls, it's almost past your bedtimes. Dot, that goes for you too."

The girls groaned unhappily until Francis said, "Go on, off to bed. Listen to your babysitter, Dot."

"Yes, Ms. Francis." The girls all said, leaving the infirmary.

"You haven't told them you're not a girl?" Kimberly asked.

"I, uh, I didn't have the heart to." Francis shrugged.

"Ms. Francis is a Mr. Francis?" Dot cocked her head, standing by Kimberly's leg.

"The voice wasn't obvious?" The grasshopper chuckled.

"Well, sh-I mean, _he's_ a ladybug-"

"Dot, if all the ladybugs in the world were girls, there wouldn't be any ladybugs at all." Kimberly said gently. "It was an honest mistake."

"One that happens way too often." Francis muttered under his breath.

"Now, off to bed. Goodnight, Francis."

"'Night, Kim. 'Night, Dot."

As Kimberly and Dot exited the infirmary, Atta approached them. "Uh, Kimberly? Could I talk to you alone?" She asked.

Kimberly cocked an antenna in curiosity. "Sure." She nodded, uncertain. It was no secret that Atta disliked her, so she wondered what was going on. "Dot, go on to bed. Goodnight."

"'Night, Kimmy." Dot hugged her leg, as she was way too short to reach any higher, and trotted off down a tunnel.

"What's on your mind?" Kimberly asked Atta. "Is it the bird?"

"No, it's not that at all." Atta shook her head. "I…I think we got off on the wrong foot, and I haven't been very fair to you."

"You don't trust grasshoppers." Kimberly stated. "I understand."

"Yeah, but you've proven over and over that you're nothing like Hopper's grasshoppers. You're kind, sweet, and considerate. I guess it took long to realize that. I think the straw that broke the camel cricket's back was when you and Francis saved Dot."

"I didn't have much involvement in it." Kimberly shrugged. "If anything, I knocked them into the crack."

"That's another thing about you, you're modest. But anyway, you tried to catch her as well, and Dot said you pretty much protected her and Francis from the bird. She said you yelled at it."

"Yeah, I guess."

"What I'm trying to say, Kimberly, is that I'm sorry." Atta finally said. "I'm sorry I distrusted you, and treated you like dirt."

"It's okay, I forgive you. Maybe we could start over?" She held out a hand. "Even become friends?"

Smiling, Atta took the larger insect's hand and shook it. "Yeah, we _can_ become friends. And I didn't say it at the time, but you were very brave when you stood up to Hopper."

"Flik did too."

"Yes, but you actually smacked and spit on him. I'd never thought I'd agree with Hopper, but he's right, you _are_ feisty."

Kimberly laughed at the memory, despite herself. "Maybe I'll be able to do better before he's scared off of the island."

Atta laughed as well. "I hope I get to see that."

"Speaking of Flik, he's not causing much trouble, is he?"

"Oh, no! Not at all." Atta shook her head. "He's been a lot of help. He's actually really good at building things. He says he can't wait until we gather leaves for the bird's feathers. He's actually quite a sweetheart."

Kimberly smiled slyly. "Oh, starting to like him, huh?"

Atta's cheeks flushed. "What? I don-"

"C'mon, Atta, we're both females. And besides, we're friends. Friends share secrets."

"…All right. If I tell you a secret, you have to tell _me_ a secret. It's only fair."

"Uh, okay." Kimberly nodded. "You first though."

"…I guess I _am_ starting to like Flik." Atta said. "I thought he was a nuisance in the past. But he's actually smart and resourceful. Maybe the other ants won't be as harsh with him as they were in the past."

"I haven't seen them be hostile towards him as we've been building the bird."

"Some ants, including the council members, were praising Flik about his building abilities."

"There you go."

"Okay, now _your_ secret." Atta smirked.

Kimberly's antennae bent down nervously. "Promise you won't get mad?"

"Why? What's the matter?"

Looking around, she waved Atta closer. "When the grasshoppers first came…and I saw Hopper for the first time…I thought he was handsome."

Atta's eyes bugged out, no pun intended. "Hear me out, please?!" Kimberly said, holding up her hands. "I know you and your mother told me about him. Believe me, I remembered. But when I saw him…I thought he was handsome. But when he started talking down to you and threatening Dot, my attraction for him melted away faster than snow in winter."

Atta finally said, "At first, I was upset. But I can see what you mean. Are you sure you're still not attracted to him?"

"Well, I _do_ still think he's good-looking. But if I wanted to look for a mate, I'd look further than just looks. Let's just say Hopper's attitude is not even on my list of what I want in a mate."

"What _do_ you want in a mate? Just out of curiosity."

Kimberly tapped her chin in thought. "Well, they'd have to be kind, not just to me, but my friends as well. Bravery's not a bad quality either. They'd also have to be charming, smart, and loyal…too cliché and cheesy?" She grinned.

"Kinda," Atta chuckled. "But those aren't bad qualities."

"May I ask what _you'd_ want in a mate?"

"Sorry, that's classified." Atta turned away, walking towards the royal resting chambers.

"Aw, come on!" Kimberly protested. "I told you _my_ preferences! Just one thing?"

"Nope!"

"You're mean!"

"You're childish." Atta laughed.

Kimberly rolled her eyes, but laughed as well.

* * *

**A/N I had to really study the pictures of the bird being built to figure out what was going on, and what materials were being used (thank you, DisneyScreencaps, for keeping at least A Bug's Life [most of the Disney Screencaps were taken down, which kinda stunk]) I'm quite certain that the beak of the fake bird was the acorn knocked off of the tree, though I'm not 100% sure that the head is a walnut shell (I'm allergic to peanuts and treenuts, including walnuts, so I don't necessarily spend a lot of time studying nut shells) I'm also not sure what was used for the eyes. I'll probably just wing it in the end.**

**I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I thought it was funny that while Atta was watching the bird through the telescope, the council members tried to look in too, even though a telescope is really something only one person at a time can use XD**

**Even though it's not really specified, I'm pretty sure the Blueberry Scouts and Dot learned Francis is actually a guy. But I don't think they, or Francis, really minded; after all, Slim mentioned Francis getting in touch with his feminine side, something the latter agreed was correct.**

**I figured Atta was feeling kinda rotten for treating Kimberly kinda badly. She just distrusts grasshoppers, and unlike her mother and little sister, it took longer for her to trust Kimberly.**

**Also, even though Kimberly still think Hopper's good-looking and charming, she's not falling in love with him. She still hates him.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**The Queen of Water: Thanks.**

**hellgirl-fan1: Thanks.**

**Guest: Yep, they're becoming good friends :)**

**WolfeAnimation: I liked writing that part :D**

* * *

Eventually, two small nut shells were found to be used for the bird's eyes. The leaves on the huge tree were starting to turn orange, red, and yellow, and began to fall. The best-looking leaves were gathered to be used for the bird's feathers.

While the bird was being built, Kimberly found herself especially befriending Gypsy and Manny. The older couple thought of her as the daughter they couldn't have, and set to work teaching her to be a fine and fair performing lady. At first, Kimberly politely declined the lessons, especially when they mentioned she would be able to impress a male if she wished. "I'm not looking for romance." She said.

"But someday you'll meet a special male, who will set your heart aflutter," Gypsy countered. "And even if you don't want to know, you will want to impress and woo him. These lessons aren't strictly for romance. Everyone loves a proper young lady."

"She's right, Kimberly, dear." Manny nodded. "And if you wish to perform beneath the spotlight, you'll know how to impress a crowd."

"Well…I _have_ expressed an interest in singing in the past." Kimberly said. "All grasshoppers are musically-talented, though some are better at making music than singing."

"Oh, lovely!" Gypsy grinned. "Let's hear it, just some basic vocals."

Clearing her throat, Kimberly sang under her breath, "La-la-la," And then vocalized, increasing her voice's volume. She smiled modestly, "How was it?"

"Beautiful." Gypsy answered. "You were right about grasshoppers being musically-talented. When you sing, stand up straight, shoulders back and down, and chest high." She gently pushed Kimberly into the positions she mentioned.

"And above all, practice, be confident, and keep your head up." Manny added, tilting Kimberly's head up.

On Gypsy's word, Kimberly began vocalizing, barely noticing the gypsy moth and mantis's hands leave her.

As more leaves began to fall, the ants took to climbing the tree and gathering leaves that got caught in the large hole in the tree. Some, including Flik, stood on the leaves as they fell. Flik had the most fun out of all the ants "surfing" whooping and laughing as he fell and sailed around.

The ants and insects gathered the fallen leaves and began attaching them to the bird's frame. Once the head's feathers were attached, the eyes were attached. A steering mechanism was also installed. Two sticks were attached to another stick on the back of the bird, where a long, strong vine was attached. The pilot of the bird would use the steering sticks to help turn the bird left or right as it swung on the vine. The large shell was kept inside so someone could shout into it and make the bird sound like it was screeching.

One day, Kimberly was spending time with Gypsy and Manny. "Stand up straight, with your shoulders back," Gypsy advised. "Posture is everything in performing and casting a good impression."

"Keep your head up, and always try to smile." Manny added.

"And show off those beautiful eyes of yours."

"Beautiful eyes?" Kimberly cocked an antenna. She never thought her eyes were beautiful. She always thought they looked odd, being brown with a ring of blue-green around the outside edge. She always wondered if before she was born, Arthropoda, the insect god, couldn't decide whether to make her eyes brown or blue-green, and decided to give her both.

"Kimberly!" Flik yelled, running up to the three insects, holding two leaves behind his back. "Kimberly! Kimberly!"

"Excuse me, please?" Kimberly grinned at Gypsy and Manny. She turned to Flik. "What are you screaming about?"

"I found out how to solve your problem!"

"What problem? I don't have a problem. What's my problem?"

"You don't have wings. But I got an idea! Ta-da!" He held out the leaves. One was orange with a bit of red in the middle, and the other was red with orange edges. Half of each leaf had been sliced off, leaving the spine and the other half of the leaf.

"Flik…they're leaves."

"Technically, they're leaf-halves."

"All right, then. They're leaf-halves." Kimberly said patiently. "But how do they solve my wing 'problem'?"

"We glue the leaves to your wing stumps and make new wings! I-I don't know if you'll be able to fly, but hey, we're building a bird to scare off grasshoppers. Anything's possible."

"Yeah, that's true." Kimberly nodded.

"Anyway, Rosie will be gluing the leaves to your wing stumps." Flik nodded at the spider, who had came up to join the two insects.

"It won't hurt me, will it?" The grasshopper asked. "The spider silk, I mean."

"Oh, no, of course not." Rosie shook her head, gesturing for Kimberly to turn around. She turned and spread her hardened wings, revealing her membrane wing stumps. Flik held the leave stems against her wing stumps, and Rosie wrapped some silk string around, attaching the leaves. "It won't hurt at all, and it's incredibly light, yet very strong. They'll stay on good if and when you're flapping them to fly, yet if they're pulled hard enough, they'll pull off, though your wing stumps _will_ hurt."

Kimberly spread both pairs of wings, revealing her new fake wings. "Ooh, Kimmy!" Gypsy squealed. "They look so beautiful!"

"The orange and red go wonderfully with your yellow complexion, my dear." Manny nodded in agreement. "And the light-green tint to your skin is the _piéce de résistance_."

Kimberly smiled as she gently fluttered her wings, making a blue of red and orange. She looked over her shoulder, her smile growing. "Thank you so much, Flik!" She exclaimed, hugging the ant. "Even if I won't be able to fly again, they're beautiful. Thank you so much!"

"Heh, it was nothing, Kim." Flik grinned modestly.

"You've done so many great things: you found these bugs to help chase away the grasshoppers, we're building this bird to scare them away for good, and even gave me my wings back. It's no wonder Atta's turning over a new leaf."

"What do you mean?"

"She's changed her mind about you. She's growing fond of you."

"Really?" His eyes lit up.

"Yeah." Kimberly nodded. "You've proven to her that you're more than a klutzy goofball. Maybe you'll even be able to prove yourself further when we chase away the grasshoppers."

"Yeah," Rosie agreed. "Maybe you could pilot the bird?"

"Great idea!" Flik grinned. "I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait for the grasshoppers to come!"

* * *

Finally, after several weeks of hard work, the bird was finally done. Early one morning, rows of ants, circus bugs, and Kimberly held the three vines attached to the bird, waiting on Atta's signal to pull the bird and hide it in the tree.

Atta flew out, observed the bird, and landed on the large root behind the anthill. "Okay!" She yelled.

All of the bugs began pulling the vines, slowly lifting the bird up into the air. Atta joined in raising the bird. Once it was in front of the large hole, Dim flew out and pushed it into the hole. Four ants pushed a forked stick underneath, keeping the bird inside the hole. Once they were ready, the stick would be pushed away, letting the bird slide out and swing around on its vine.

Finally, the bird was set in place. "You fired!" Tuck and Roll shouted, popping out of the bird's mouth, opening it in the process.

The insects, both in the tree and on the ground, laughed and applauded. After all their hard work, the bird was finally finished. Soon, the grasshoppers would never dare return to Ant Island.

"When Hopper and his gang return, they're not gonna know what hit 'em!" Kimberly yelled, hoisting Dot onto her shoulder.

* * *

**A/N I feel this chapter's kinda rushed...ah well, I'm posting anyway :3**

**After rediscovering ABL, I found myself growing fond of Gypsy and Manny. They're one of the few canon interspecies couples (another of my favorites is Donkey and Dragon from _Shrek_; those dronkeys are to DIE FOR! X3) It's a shame ABL didn't go more in depth with their relationship. It would have been pretty interesting to see how they got together. (Fun fact: Gypsy is voiced by Madeline Kahn, the singer from _Blazing Saddles_. I've seen it a few times [it's one of my favorite movies] and I was kinda surprised that Kahn was in ABL. It was apparently her last role in an animated kids' movie before her death in 1999)**

**Since grasshoppers are known to make chirping noises, and of course, Mr. Grasshopper in _James and the Giant Peach_ played music, I decided to make it DxC-canon (means canon in my universe :3) that all grasshoppers are musically-talented, whether it's singing or playing any kind of music. Makes ya kinda wonder what Hopper and Molt's music talents would be. Richard Kind, voice of Molt, played a singing alligator in _The Penguins of Madagascar_ and uses the same voice for Molt, so Molt's definitely a singer. Last month, I learned that Kevin Spacey, voice of Hopper, did some singing, one song being "That Old Black Magic." I'm not sure if it sounds like Hopper (look it up on YouTube; be sure to put Kevin Spacey's name in, as that song's been covered by other people) but it's worth noting that Hoppy could be a singer.**

**Kimberly's musical talent is singing. She's one of those people who have a natural singing voice; plus, as she and I said before, all grasshoppers have some form of musical talent. Also, I've decided a voice actress for her: Liz Callaway, who's provided many singing voices to animated characters, such as Kiara in _The Lion King II: Simba's Pride_, Anastasia in the film of the same name, and Princess Odette in _The Swan Princess._ She hasn't done any regular voice acting though, so I can't really think of how Kimmy would sound when she's just talking, as some people sound different when they're singing than when they're just talking. But we CANimagine how she would sound singing _Once Upon a December_ and _Love Will Find a Way._**

**I always planned for Kimberly to have fake wings. I went through several designs, the first being the leaves were whole, instead of having half the leaf and the stem, and they were attached with a sort of harness made from green leaves and twigs. That was a little too complex (and grasshoppers were already hard to draw to begin with) so I changed it so they were tied on with spider silk. She WILL fly eventually; I'm a little nervous about writing it, since leaves don't really make you fly in real life. But Kimmy flying with wings is part of something I like to call "cartoon physics." So, I'll try not to worry about it too much.**

**The next chapter's POV will be VERY interesting ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**hellgirl-fan1: Glad you liked it :)**

**VoiceUnheard98: Thanks :D I'm not sure if I'll do that or not. I literally have no ideas for a plot like that.**

**Glad you liked Kimberly's new wings :)**

**Guest: Yeah, he's a nice guy :)**

**TheBeldam27: Cool :D I'm glad you're liking this story.**

**Funnily enough, I have kinda headcanon ideas for not only Kimberly and Hopper as humans, but the main couples in my other stories as well, these being _The Halloween Cat_, _Things Aren't Always as They Seem_, and _Amphibiques in Boggan's Armor_, though some are more of appearances than backstory and personalities. I'm not sure if anything will come out of them though, but you never know.**

* * *

The Desert

Though they had their own home in a large tree near a field, the grasshoppers always flew to a sombrero in the desert, home to a family of mosquitoes. After a "talk" with them, Hopper was able to convince them to not only allow the grasshoppers to come every summer, but to also treat their home like a tropical resort for the grasshoppers. The insects were far bigger and stronger than the mosquitoes, so they had no choice but to play along. After a few summers, though they hated to admit it, it became routine for the mosquitoes to serve the grasshoppers when they came, and as long as they didn't hurt the blood-sucking insects, both parties got along fine, more or less.

There was music and dancing, a bar, and a big bottle of grain in the sombrero, and outside was a puddle, which to insects was a lake. The grasshoppers usually floated on leaves in the middle of the lake, laid by the lake under cocktail umbrellas, or even water-skied across the lake. The aptly-named Mosquito Desert Resort was paradise.

However, for a certain one-eyed grasshopper, he was feeling anything but content. He loved the resort as much as the next grasshopper, but this summer, he was having conflicted and strange feelings. And they were all centering on one certain yellowish grasshopper.

Hopper crossed both pairs of arms as he leaned back against the sombrero. His antennae twitched once in a while, showing that he was in deep thought. One thing that was on his mind was going back to Ant Island for the food; double the amount they usually got, at that. He determined it would keep the ants in line, and ensure the grasshoppers would have enough food for winter, and then some. Kill two ants with one stone. He chuckled at his witty idiom.

He remembered the ant that stood up to him. He looked like an ordinary blue ant. Even though he seemed both brave and foolish, he still cowered in Hopper's presence, telling the one-eyed grasshopper he feared and respected him. This was good. Hopper knew if one ant would stand up to him or his other grasshoppers, than the other ants may join in. And even though the grasshoppers were at least twice the ants' size, there were far more ants than grasshoppers, spelling disaster if they rebelled against them.

Thinking of the ant that had stood up brought Hopper's mind back to the female grasshopper who evidently lived with the ants. _Kimberly was her name._ He remembered. She was an attractive grasshopper: a light-green-tinted yellow and light orange exoskeleton, with orange spikes, toes, and claws, black spots on her legs, light-orange wings, and big hazel eyes. Her eyes were what attracted Hopper the most after her feisty attitude. They were brown with a ring of blue-green on the outside edge. To some, the combination would look somewhat strange; to the one-eyed grasshopper, whose good eye was a simple brown, they were beautiful. But he kept his feelings in check, keeping his composure in front of his grasshoppers and the ants.

As aforementioned, Kimberly's feisty attitude was another quality he found interesting and endearing of the female grasshopper. She showed no fear upon confronting Hopper, as the other ant had. There had been anger in those big eyes of hers. At first, Hopper had laid out the charm, knowing females were like putty in his hands upon being charmed. Or so he thought.

He hadn't expected to be slapped across the face, having never been slapped in all his life. And even though he threatened her, saying she would regret it, she fought back. She even demanded that he put the young ant princess down. And when he tried to charm her once again, she spit on him, though that wasn't quite as bad.

Even after leaving, Hopper wanted to see her again. He wanted her to come with him to the Mosquito Desert Resort and beyond. He had met many other females in the past, and they didn't often fight back like Kimberly had. When they did, he brushed them off. But not this time. Even after Kimberly refused his offer and promise of a life of luxury and power, Hopper's interest for her didn't fade; rather, it did the exact opposite and intensified. Almost every day he imagined, even dreamed of, having her on his arm; flying beside him when the gang went from their home in the tree to Ant Island, to the desert resort, and back home. He wanted her. He needed her. He was in love with her.

Hopper growled deeply. He wasn't ready to admit he was in love, if he would ever even admit it. He didn't even say it out loud. He hated the fact that he was falling in love. It wasn't even the fact that he barely even knew her; it was the plain fact that he was falling in love to begin with. He thought his interest in her would fade away. But instead, it intensified. He found himself eager to see her again.

He groaned angrily, deciding he needed to get Kimb-no, he wasn't going to even think her name. He needed her off of his mind. He needed to think of better, more important things. "Hey, Mac!" He yelled to the mute, twig-chewing cockroach. Though he couldn't or preferred not to talk, Hopper wasn't sure which, the bug was one of many talents. "I need some TLC, and to get some things off of my mind." He lay down on a slightly-bent bullet casing, letting his legs and lower arms hang over the sides, and crossing his upper arms on the front of the bullet casing, and laid his chin on them.

The cockroach got to work massaging the grasshopper's back. Hopper sighed contentedly, already starting to feel better physically and mentally. He could already sense Ki-her leaving his mind, slowly but surely. He moaned throatily as the cockroach began lightly chopping his back with the sides of his hands. "Ooh, yeah, that's good. Oh, that's good." He said, feeling very relaxed. "Ooh, a little lower, lower." He sighed as he felt the light chops lower until they were where he wanted them. His eyelids slowly closed shut.

"Heya, Hop."

Hopper tensed at the sound of his annoying brother's voice. "Go away." He snapped, his content face gone and replaced with an irritated expression.

"That's fine. Then I won't tell ya my idea." Molt said.

"Good!" But Hopper actually found himself half-wishing Molt would ignore him and talk. It would help distract him from a certain yellow grasshopper.

Indeed, Molt turned and moved so he was in front of his older brother. Hopper only half-listened as he talked, watching as a piece of exoskeleton fell from his brother. _Hmm, that reminds me: it's almost autumn, almost time to return to Ant Island._

"Why go back to Ant Island at all?" Molt continued. "I mean, you don't even like grain."

"What?!" Hopper yelled, jumping to his feet. It wasn't the jibe that he didn't like grain—it was true, he got a little tired of it—but it was the idea of not going back to Ant Island that ruffled his feathers, so to speak.

"You're right! I didn't think it was such a good idea myself." Molt said quickly, backing away nervously as Hopper advanced towards him, scowling. "Actually, it wasn't even my idea. It was Axel and Loco's! They talked fancy to me, I got confused!" He was against the wall by now, holding up his arms to shield his face.

Hopper stopped, growling under his breath. Apparently, there were some grasshoppers who were questioning his leadership, and wanting to stay. _Axel and Loco, eh? Perhaps I should have a little "talk" with them._

He flew down to the ground, looking around for the grasshoppers Molt mentioned. As the music stopped, he saw Axel and Loco sitting at the bar. They flinched when they saw the gang leader, and turned away from him. "Guys…order another round, because we're stayin' here!" He grinned, spreading his arms in a flourish as the grasshoppers cheered.

"What was I thinking going back to Ant Island?" He asked, slowly making his way to the bar, walking behind Axel and Loco, who looked relaxed, seeing that Hopper didn't seem angry. "I mean, we just got here, and we have more than enough food to get us through the winter, right? Why go back?"

The other grasshoppers chuckled and nodded in agreement as Molt, who had flown down by now, struck up the band again.

"But, there _was_ that one ant that stood up to me." Hopper mused, holding a finger to his chin.

"Yeah, but we can forget about him!" Axel waved a hand.

"Yeah, it's just one ant!" Loco laughed in agreement.

"Ooh!" Another grasshopper said, mockingly-scared. "One ant!"

"Yeah, you're right." Hopper chuckled, leaning on the bottle of grain. "It's just one ant."

"Oh, and don't forget that yellow beauty!" Another grasshopper added.

"Ooh, yeah." Axel grinned. "I remember her. She was quite the looker."

"The eyes were kinda funny-looking, but hey! We can ignore them!" Loco said. "They're just one element."

"Mm, remember those legs?" Axel chuckled.

"All grasshoppers have legs, idjit." A grasshopper rolled his eyes.

"Not like those."

The other grasshopper chuckled and nodded, all remembering the female grasshopper.

Hopper scowled, not only because Ki-she was back on his mind, but also because the other grasshoppers were evidently interested in her. They were males, and they hadn't seen a female in a long time, so he didn't blame them. But he felt possessive of the yellowish grasshopper. He made a mental note to "tell" the grasshoppers that they should stay away from her.

"Shame she was with those ants." Axel shrugged.

"Yeah, but they won't give us any trouble. They're puny!" Loco laughed.

_This gives me an idea._ "Hmm, puny." Hopper mused, glancing at the grain in the bottle. "Okay, let's pretend this grain," He lifted the lid on the bottle, letting a single piece of grain fall into his hand. "Is one puny little ant." He tossed it at Loco. "Didn't that hurt?"

"Heh, no." Loco shook his head.

Hopper took out another piece. "Well, how 'bout this one?" He threw it at Axel.

"Are you kiddin'?" The grasshopper grinned.

The other grasshoppers laughed as well. "Well, how 'bout _this_?!" With a grunt, Hopper pulled the whole bottle cap off, creating an avalanche of grain. The three grasshoppers at the bar screamed as they were covered in a mountain of grain. Hopper stood still with a scowl on his face as the other grasshoppers watched in shock and horror, jaws dropped.

As soon as the grain stopped falling, Hopper climbed to the top, speaking along the way, "If you let one ant stand up to us, then they _all_ might stand up. Those puny little ants outnumber us a hundred to one. And if they ever figure that out, there goes our way of life! It's not about food anymore; it's about keeping those ants in line. And that female grasshopper? You all stay away from her. Don't talk to her, don't touch her, don't even _look_ at her! Just concentrate on letting the ants know who's boss._ That's_ why we're going back…Does anybody else wanna stay?"

Still looking horrified and scared, the grasshoppers' wings began buzzing. "He's quite the motivational speaker, ain't he?" Molt grinned, seeming to be the only one not scared.

Hopper jumped down to the ground. "Let's ride!" He yelled, taking off. The other grasshoppers followed close behind and flew out through the hole in the top of the sombrero, creating a small cloud of grasshoppers.

* * *

**A/N The Director's Commentary for the ABL DVD said the sombrero the grasshoppers visited is home to a family of mosquitoes, who have to play along and treat their home like a resort for the grasshoppers every summer. I don't like mosquitoes in real life, so I don't know how I feel about it, but the idea of it's pretty interesting. There's a lot of fun facts you can learn from Director's Commentary.**

**It was kinda difficult writing in Hopper's POV. Most of it was keeping him in character, and giving him feelings we didn't see in the movie while keeping him realistic. For example, his attitude towards Kimberly, and remembering her. I'm not sure why I wrote that Hopper was attracted to her eyes after her attitude. Maybe something to do with him only having one still-functioning eye?**

**Hopper being "in love" with Kimberly is more lust love than real love, if that makes sense. He barely knows her, only that she lives with ants, is quite feisty (I say that word a lot in this story...) and actually fights back. Plus, her looks, which are usually a key factor in especially villain/good guy pairings. In my mind, it's better to know someone a lot better than just looks and little snippets of life when falling in love; that's why in my stories, I try and have the subjects of a pairing try and get to know each other before things get romantic. In this situation, with Kimberly disliking Hopper, it's not new per se, but I'm still trying to do it at least a bit realistically. In other words, don't expect Kimberly to fall very quickly in love with Hopper, it's gonna take a while ****(is that a spoiler? I won't say it is or isn't ;))**

**But, at any rate, it was very interesting to write in Hopper's POV for a change. I had posted a journal on my DeviantART page, asking people what the bug that gave Hopper a back massage was, as well as the thing Hopper was laying on while getting said back massage. Someone by the name of EweLamb-Lover said they may have been a cockroach and bullet casing respectively, so that's what I'm going with (thanks again :D) If you think they're something else, let me know, and I can change it.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**Guest: Cool :)**

**The Queen of Water: Oh, she'll try.**

**TheBeldam27: Yeah, it is. I don't, I just update whenever I finish a chapter, and write on my own time. I don't really like doing stuff in accordance to a timer.**

**Yeah, I'd imagine so XD I think love/hate relationships are one of the more popular and funny ones, as well as the most fun to read and write about.**

**Sounds like a nice idea, but I've already most of the plot after ABL planned out. Thanks anyway :)**

* * *

For the rest of the day until evening came, the ants and circus bugs celebrated the bird's completion. There was music and dancing, as well as simple talk between the insects.

Dot and her Blueberry Scout friends admired Kimberly's wings, which the grasshopper had kept secret until now. Dot asked if she was able to fly again. "I'm not sure." Kimberly answered. "I haven't tried yet. Maybe after the grasshoppers are completely gone, I can try."

"When will _that_ be?" One girl ant asked. "The grasshoppers, I mean. When will they come and leave?"

"I'd imagine once the last leaf falls from the tree." Kimberly said. "So, probably in a day or so. But when they come, we'll be ready for 'em, right?"

"Right!" The girls all cheered, giggling.

"Ooh! Maybe, maybe we could make it like we called the bird ourselves!" Another girl said. "Make it look like magic!"

The other girls nodded and giggled in agreement. "That certainly sounds like an idea." Kimberly smiled. "And it'll scare them even better."

Well into the night, the celebration was still going on strong. The insects cheered, "To the bird!" Cornelius, Manny, and Gypsy led a conga line, Dr. Flora danced with Tuck and Roll, Slim played limbo with some ants, including Atta, and Dim made some young ants fly into a web spun by Rosie.

Kimberly was having the time of her life. She was both excited and nervous for when the grasshoppers arrived. She knew they would be angry, to say the least, about the lack of food; Hopper especially. But she knew that at the sound of the shell, a team of ants, led by Flik, were to climb the tree and get inside the bird. It would "take flight" and scare the grasshoppers off. Some of the ants and circus bugs would even use red berries and berry juice to make it look as though the bird had injured them, for good measure.

Kimberly also knew Hopper would be looking for her. She spoke about this with Phyllis, confessing a dark secret. "A few days after Flik left, I was walking around the island, and I found Hopper…or rather, he found me. He offered me a place in his gang. I asked why he was so interested in me, and he…well, he made it seem like he were in love with me, though I can't really see that happening to an insect like him. I turned down the offer, and put it quite clearly that if he made the same offer to me again when he returned, the answer would be the same: no."

Phyllis wasn't angry, but she wasn't happy either. "This is distressing to hear Hopper remained on the island after his gang left."

"He left after I turned down his offer."

"Are you sure?"

"I saw him leave with my own eyes." Kimberly cocked an antenna as Phyllis stared at her with a solemn expression. "Is…is something wrong, your majesty?"

"I know you miss being with other grasshoppers, my dear."

"You think I'm ly-"

"I never said that. I believe you. But you've been with us ants for many months, and only have been in contact with your own kind twice. After the grasshoppers leave for good…we would understand if you wanted to leave to find other grasshoppers."

Kimberly was silent. She had never thought of leaving Ant Island. It came to be her home for the past months. But Phyllis was right. Save for two instances, she had never been with her own kind; only ants and other bugs, no grasshoppers. "I…I honestly have never thought about leaving." She said honestly. "And…the ants will never accept me. Hopper himself said that."

"And do you believe him?"

"I believed it before he ever came to the island in the first place. Even now, I know the ants are wary of me. I know you, Dot, Flik and even Atta have warmed up to me…but the others…" She didn't bother to finish her sentence.

Phyllis beckoned Kimberly closer, and hugged the grasshopper, surprising her. "Don't let that be the reason for you to go, dear. Even if the others will never accept you, Dot, Flik, Atta, and I still love you. You're nothing like Hopper and his gang." She let her go and cupped her bigger, thin face. "If you want to leave on your own accord, do it because you want to, not because others want you to go. And as for the grasshoppers returning, don't draw attention to yourself, especially with Hopper."

Kimberly smiled softly and hugged the old ant again. "Thank you, your majesty."

She still hadn't made a decision on whether to leave or not. She knew Dot would be most upset. And Kimberly didn't want to leave her. She thought of the little ant as a sister or daughter. She knew Flik would be disappointed. He was such a sweetheart and a goofball; she couldn't help feeling a soft spot for him. And she knew Atta would be sad as well. Over the last months of the bird's building, the two had become very close friends, almost sister-like.

"Blueberries dismissed!" Francis said, closing a meeting with the Blueberry Scouts. As they ran off, giggling, he added to Dot, "And, uh, quit beating the boys up." He sighed as the other bugs joined him, "Those little raisins do grow on ya."

Kimberly nodded in agreement. "Hey, how ya guys doin'?" Flik grinned, approaching the group. "Some party, huh? Is that grain dip fresh or what?" He lowered his voice. "Okay, I told everyone you'll be stationed deep in the command bunker. Party quiets down, I sneak you out the back, and you're outta here forever."

The bugs were silent until Dim said sadly, "Dim don't wanna go."

"Aww," Kimberly smiled, rubbing the rhino beetle's nose.

"Well, if Dim stays, he's gonna need me here. He's not fully-trained. Uh, _house_-trained, I mean." Rosie said as Dim chuckled.

"I, uh, I kinda promised the Blueberries I'd teach 'em canasta." Francis added.

"Another card game?" Kimberly smirked.

"What's wrong with that?"

"It seems we've been booked for an extended engagement." Gypsy smiled to Flik.

"What about you, Kimberly?" Slim asked. "What will you do?"

"Well," She said, twitching an antenna in thought. "I haven't really decided yet. But I'm gravitating towards staying. This island's really become like a home for me."

Atta joined the group, laughing, "Will you look at this colony? I mean, would you just look?! I don't even recognize it! And I have you bugs to thank for it. So…thank you." She turned shyly to Flik. "And, uh, thank _you_ for finding 'em, Flik."

"Me?" He turned to her, getting their antennae tangled in the process. Kimberly hid a chuckle behind her fingers as she watched the two ants untangle their antennae, babbling shyly as they did so. Once they got free, Atta walked off, grinning, "Think I'll go, uh, check on the bird." She paused and turned to the opposite direction. "Bird's _this_ way."

"Yeah, the bird's that way." Flik chuckled, unaware of the circus bugs and Kimberly smiling knowingly. When he finally noticed, he shrugged, "What?"

Suddenly, there was the familiar blast from the shell. Kimberly's eyes widened as everyone gasped. "Oh no, so soon?!" She hissed. She heard Atta yelling for the ants to get to their battle stations before there was a loud noise.

Two millipedes crawled out of the grass, pulling two large wagons behind them. Holding the reins, and sitting on the edge of the first wagon, was a brown flea. Behind him, shining their tail lights into the sky, were two lightning bugs. On the second wagon, with a bunch of musical instruments, was a spider wearing a small acorn cap.

"Whoa, steady there, girls!" The flea exclaimed, pulling the millipedes to a stop. He set the reins down and jumped onto the wagon as a crowd of ants gathered around curiously. "Greetings and salutations! Ooh-boppa-doo and how do ya do?! I am the great P.T. Flea!" He laughed, doing a sort of dance. "I'm in need of your assis-oh, let's just cut to the chase. Look, I've been goin' from anthill to anthill. I'm lookin' for a bunch of circus performers, have you seen 'em?"

The lightning bugs unrolled a poster of the circus bugs: Tuck and Roll, Manny and Gypsy, Slim, Francis, and Heimlich, and Dim and Rosie. Kimberly's eyes widened. This was the circus the bugs had left, and the flea was their boss. _Ooh, this isn't gonna be good!_ She looked around as Flik tried to hide the poster and tell P.T. to try another anthill. The circus bugs tried to sneak away under a large leaf, but P.T. saw them anyway, and threw away the leaf. "Guys! I've been lookin' all over for ya. Flaming Death is a huge hit!"

The bugs tried to shush him as the ants gathered around, but the flea either didn't understand, or just didn't listen. "I'm serious. Word of the mouth got around. The next day, there was a line of flies outside the tent that went on forever! It must have been a foot long! So, I figured it out: you guys burn me twice a night, I take a day off to heal, and then we do it all over again. We'll be the top circus act in the business!"

Kimberly grimaced at the thought of willingly being burned alive. _Is this guy a pyromaniac or something?_ "You mean you're not warriors?" Atta asked in astonishment.

"Are you kiddin'?" P.T. scoffed. "These are the lousiest circus bugs you've ever seen, and they're gonna make me rich!"

"You mean to tell me that our entire defensive strategy was concocted by clowns?" Thorny exclaimed angrily.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, we really thought Flik's idea was gonna work." Francis protested.

All of the ants gasped in shock, and turned to Flik who cringed guiltily. "…Oops." Francis groaned.

"Tell me this isn't true." Atta pleaded to Flik, looking betrayed.

"No, you don't-you don't-" Flik protested.

"And you," The princess turned to Kimberly. "Were _you_ involved? Did you know about this?"

"No!" Flik exclaimed, coming to the grasshopper's defense. "Sh-she didn't know tha-"

"Flik," Kimberly held up a hand, shaking her head. "I knew about them being circus bugs, your highness. Flik asked me to keep it secret…I'm sorry." She hung her head.

"This couldn't have happened at a more inopportune time!" Mr. Soil moaned. "The last leaf is about to fall!"

"We haven't collected enough food for the grasshoppers!" Dr. Flora cried.

"If Hopper finds out what we almost did," Thorny cringed.

"Hopper is _not_ going to find out!" Phyllis said in a loud voice. "We're going to hide all this, and pretend it never happened. _You_ bugs were never here." She pointed to the circus bugs. "So I suggest you all leave. As for _you_, young lady," She scowled at Kimberly. "You're lucky you have such an important job that I'm giving you a second chance."

Kimberly nodded somberly. "But the bird!" Flik exclaimed. "The-the bird _will_ work!"

"I never thought I'd see the day when an ant would put himself before the rest of his colony." Phyllis shook her head. "The point is, Flik, you lied to us."

"No-no-no! I-I-"

"You lied, Flik." Atta interrupted. "You lied to her. You lied to the colony! You lied to _me_! And like an idiot, I believed you."

"But I-I was just afraid that…if you knew I'd gotten circus bugs…" Flik sighed deeply. "I just wanted to make a difference."

"…I want you to leave, Flik. And this time, don't _come_ back."

The ants gasped softly, murmuring among themselves. There had rarely been an ant that had been banished from Ant Island. Flik hung his head, depressed, and followed the circus wagons with the circus bugs, who were also sad. Dot tried to run after them, but Phyllis held her back, shaking her head. Kimberly wordlessly held a foot out in front of the princess as well. "Flik," Dot whined.

Kimberly watched the bugs and circus wagon disappear into the grass, and then looked up at the tree. The last remaining leaf was still on the branch. But then, with a low crinkle, it broke off and fluttered to the ground.

Kimberly flinched. Everyone, including her, knew what that meant: the grasshoppers were coming. But now, there was nothing they could do to scare them off; now they had to abide to their demands.

The ants clamored around the queen, saying they didn't have enough food for the grasshoppers. "There's still some food on the island," Phyllis said. "If we work all through the night, taking small sleep breaks along the way, maybe we'll be able to get enough food. Now let's go!"

The ants all ran to collect as much food as they could. Before she too left, Kimberly saw Atta. The older princess was lightly-scowling at the grasshopper. Her antennae drooping, Kimberly was the first to break eye contact and leave to gather food.

The ants ignored her, sometimes glaring at her. Kimberly ignored them as she gathered multiple pieces of food. She heard footsteps approach her from behind. "How long?"

It was Atta. "How long what?"

"How long did you know the 'warrior bugs' were really circus bugs?"

"…Before the bird attacked, when I went after them to see what was wrong. It was the first time they found out they had to actually fight the grasshoppers."

"Why did you keep it a secret?"

"…Because Flik wanted so bad to help the colony, and prove he could actually do something. He didn't mean to cause anyone any harm."

"This is all his fault!" Atta kicked a grain. "If he hadn't come back, we wouldn't be in this mess! If he hadn't knocked the food into the river, this wouldn't have happened! If he had never been _born_, this wouldn't have happened!"

Kimberly only watched as Atta screamed in frustration. "And you just had to go along with it!" Atta hissed to Kimberly. "And I actually thought I could trust you."

That stung her the worst. "I…I'm sorry." She picked up some pieces of grain, including the one Atta had kicked. "Don't worry, after the grasshoppers are here and gone, I'll leave and be out of your antennae forever." She left before Atta could say anything.

* * *

**A/N Kinda wanted to show how Kimberly is around kids, especially when there's more than just Dot.**

**I figured Kimberly needed to tell someone her secret about when Hopper offered her a place in his gang. And who better to entrust an important secret than with the queen, who took Kimberly in, even though she was a grasshopper? Also, Kimberly's been living with ants for so long, only having a couple instances of contact with her own kind during that time. Even though she loves Ant Island and her ant friends, she misses other grasshoppers.**

**One of the biggest plot points in the film: the ants all finding out the truth about the warrior bugs. Since Kimberly was involved in the secret, she didn't get off scot-free, though she only got a stern warning. She's feeling really bad and guilty, and knows whatever trust the ants might have in her has dwindled away. That's why she's saying after the grasshoppers leave, she too will leave, though not with Hopper's gang.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**VoiceUnheard98: Thanks :D The tension makes it more interesting and fun to read.**

**WolfeAnimation: Like I said, I had fun writing his POV. I'm only assuming the sombrero isn't their real home since the directors, in the commentary, said they went to it every summer. Plus, especially in winter, nights in the desert get cold. After writing the chapter, and trying to figure out what kind of bug he is, he seems, to me, like an interesting character to write.**

**I'm still baffled at how I missed that mistake XD**

**Guest: Yeah, it WAS pretty sad.**

* * *

All of the ants, and Kimberly, gathered as much food as they could find all through the night and well into morning. When morning came, it brought a thick, eerie fog, as if signaling the grasshoppers were on their way.

The last remaining ants ran and threw their load into the meager pile on the offering stone, and ran into the crowd. Kimberly stood with the queen down on the ground, listening as Atta exclaimed, "That's it?! There's gotta be more food on the island!"

"If we give up more, we'll starve." Thorny said solemnly, as if already accepting the inevitable.

"Hopper won't accept this!"

Kimberly glanced worriedly from the princess to the offering. She was right. The pile wasn't double the usual amount, as the gang leader had requested; it wasn't even as big as the one they originally picked last spring. Time was nearly up, and they didn't fulfill the greedy grasshopper's demand.

Everyone gasped as the familiar roaring buzzing sounded. It sounded more fearful than before because everyone knew the grasshoppers were coming and wouldn't be happy with the barely half-finished demand, the sound came without the shell warning everyone that they were coming, and because of the fog, they couldn't see them coming.

Atta ran to her mother. "Mother, it's not enough!" She whispered. "What do we do?!"

"I-I don't know." Phyllis sighed.

Kimberly's antennae drooped, then sat up almost straight, which was saying something, since they were always almost bent directly in half: the buzzing stopped.

Everyone stood their ground, gasping and gulping nervously. Heavy footsteps sounded, each one prompting the ants to flinch. Then, out of the thick fog, the grasshoppers came walking, looking like big hulking monsters. They surrounded the ants, all silent, save for the scrawny, twisted grasshopper named Thumper, who growled and screeched. Kimberly stood by Phyllis and Atta, glaring bravely at the grasshoppers.

"You little termites!" Everyone gasped and whipped around to see Hopper hovering in the air, carrying the leaf full of food over his head with his top hands. Kimberly's jaw dropped slightly. _Great Arthropoda, he's strong!_

"I give you a second chance, and _this_ is all I get?!" Hopper shouted angrily, throwing the leaf-full of food at the colony.

The ants ran away, screaming, as the food scattered on the ground. "But Hopper, we ran out of time!" Atta exclaimed.

"Have mercy, you brute!" Kimberly couldn't help yelling.

"Have you ants been playing all summer?" Hopper asked rhetorically, ignoring the yellowish grasshopper, and still hovering. "You think this is a game?!"

"No, no, please!" Atta pleaded.

"Well, guess what: you just lost." He glowered.

The grasshoppers closed in on the ants. "Kimberly, run!" Phyllis whispered.

"What? What about-"

"We'll be fine! Hopper will be looking for you, just run! Fly away if you must!"

"I'm not leaving you," Kimberly promised. "Not yet." She leapt away, somehow dodging the grasshoppers as they advanced on the ants, herding them into a tighter ball. As she leapt away, behind her, Kimberly heard Hopper roar over the terrified screams of the ants, "Not one ant sleeps until we get _every_ scrap of food on. This. Island!"

Kimberly dove into the grass and hid, shaking. "I'm not afraid…I'm not afraid…what a liar I am." She muttered. _Why am I so afraid? I wasn't scared the last time they were here, or even when Hopper offered to accept me into his gang. Buck up, Kimberly. Be brave. For the ants. For Phyllis, Atta, and Dot. For Flik and the circus bugs. You need to stand up to Hopper. You did it twice, you can do it again._

She held her breath as she heard some grasshoppers walking around. "C'mon, she's gotta be around here somewhere." One said.

Her eyes widened, realizing that Hopper knew she was missing. "Maybe she's already gone?" Another grasshopper suggested.

"If she _is_ gone, Hopper's gonna be pissed."

"Why are we even looking for her? Before we left, Hopper gave us specific instructions: stay away from her; don't talk to her, touch her, or even look at her. If we're searching for her, wouldn't that violate the rules?"

Kimberly didn't hear the first grasshopper's response as they walked farther away. She gulped nervously, but put on a brave face. "I'm gonna march right up to that one-eyed cretin, and tell him he shouldn't be treating the ants like this. I don't care if I get smacked around or even killed." She stood up, glancing around. She then realized she was standing near a snakeskin; the same one Dot had found months before, though it was considerably smaller from decay and being chewed on by other creatures.

She screamed in fright upon seeing the snakeskin, jumping back. She clapped her hands over her mouth, but it was too late. She heard voices and footsteps; someone heard her.

She ran away from the snakeskin, not sure if she was headed for the anthill. Suddenly, two grasshoppers popped out of nowhere, making her skid to a stop. "Goin' somewhere, girly?" One grinned. "You ain't goin' nowhere! The grasshoppers are in control of the island now!"

"Leave me alone!" Kimberly snapped.

"No can do, sweetwings." The other grasshopper chuckled. "You're coming with us."

"Don't you remember what Hopper said?" The first grasshopper asked. "He said-"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"But he said don't talk to her, don't touch her-"

"And don't even look at her." A voice behind them finished.

All three grasshoppers jumped. Hopper was standing behind them, all four arms crossed, and not looking very happy.

"B-Boss!" The second grasshopper grinned. "We found her!"

"Good. I trust you were leaving her alone?" The one-eyed grasshopper raised an eyebrow.

Both grasshoppers nodded feverishly, both grinning widely and innocently. "Since I'm in such a good mood, I'll believe that." Hopper said sarcastically. He then turned to Kimberly, grinning. "Hello again, dear Kimberly. I _did_ say we would meet again in autumn."

Scowling darkly, Kimberly made to slap Hopper across the face again. This time, however, he grabbed her wrist, squeezing tightly. "Slap me once, shame on me. Slap me twice," He bent her hand back, making her cry out in pain. "Shame on _you_." He let her wrist go.

"You're a vicious, cold-hearted brute!" She yelled.

"Why, thank you." He chuckled. "I saw you trying to run away. Unfortunately, you're going nowhere but back to the anthill, with me."

"Like hell I am!" She snarled.

"Hey, Boss!" The two grasshoppers who were looking for Kimberly earlier appeared. "We didn't fin-oh, you found her!" One grasshopper said.

"Guess we're not violating the rules after all." The other grasshopper remarked, adjusting a leaf on his head.

Kimberly's eyes widened in realization and horror, recognizing the leaf. She grabbed it off of the grasshopper's head. "Hey, that's mine!" He yelled.

Kimberly examined the small leaf. It was a Blueberry Scout bandanna. More specifically, it was Dot's; she recognize the spots, since the youngest princess showed them to her, and explained that she copied the yellowish grasshopper's leg spots for the bandanna. "Where did you find this?" Kimberly growled.

"Huh?"

She grabbed the grasshopper by the exoskeleton and shook him hard. "Where did you find this?!" She screamed.

"I-I dunno! It was by some g-grass stalk!"

Before any grasshopper could say anything, there was the sound of pants and growls. Thumper came flying up through the grass and landed, grinning maniacally. "Thumper? What have you been up to?" Hopper asked.

"Tiny princess fall down!" The scrawny grasshopper said in a screechy and scratchy voice. Then, he waved a hand down, whistling, cackling afterwards.

Kimberly's eyes widened in horror as she dropped the bandanna, realizing that Thumper had chased Dot and pushed her off of the cliff. Her legs began shaking, and she could feel tears starting to sting her eyes. The sounds of the other grasshoppers talking and laughing slowly faded away as her horrified expression twisted into one of ugly rage. With a roar, she attacked Thumper, catching him off guard.

The grasshoppers' eyes widened at Kimberly tackling Thumper. They stood still, watching the two grasshoppers fight, snarling and growling. They were a blur of light-green and yellow.

Hopper shook his head and snapped, "Don't just stand there! Grab her!"

The four grasshoppers glanced at each other, not wanting to get between the fighting insects. Hopper rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. _If you want something done right, you gotta to do it yourself._ Whistling loudly, he snapped his fingers.

Thumper jumped back and kicked Kimberly away. Two grasshoppers quickly grabbed her arms, holding the snarling insect back. Thumper, Hopper, and the other two grasshoppers stared at her in shock.

Kimberly had changed. Her hands were tensed into claws. Her pupils had shrunk so small, they were nearly invisible, leaving brown orbs with blue-green outlines. Her lips were curled back, revealing long, sharp teeth, and her eyebrows were furrowed into a nasty, hateful, wild glare. She was panting heavily, sounding almost animalistic. She was still struggling to break loose and attack again.

She resembled Thumper; in fact, save for the yellowish exoskeleton and hazel eyes, she looked like a female version of the scrawny grasshopper.

Hopper blinked out of his stupor as Kimberly's pants slowly subsided, and her pupils slowly grew back to normal, though she still glared hatefully. He approached her, still on his guard in case she attacked again. "I admire your wild side, Kimberly. It almost competes with Thumper as a whole. However, I think I prefer your tame side. Don't think your little outburst will allow me to let you leave the island, because you're not going anywhere. You're staying on this island. You'll not leave my sight nor side unless I say otherwise, understand?"

She growled at the grasshopper, either not completely back to her sane self, or was simply rebelling against him. Scowling, Hopper cupped her chin and squeezed her cheeks with his fingers and thumb. "Do you understand me?" He whispered harshly.

She blinked, and her eyes returned to normal. "Yes." She whispered hoarsely, relaxing.

"Good girl." Hopper let her face go and stepped back, nodding at the grasshoppers. They let her arms go. She didn't fall, but she didn't run either. She let her head hang depressed. Dot was gone; she had failed her job as her royal guardian.

"No need for the sad face, my dear," Hopper smiled patronizingly, tilting her chin up with his fingers. "You'll finally be with your own kind again. And if you promise to not try anything stupid, I won't hurt you, though I can't say the same for your ant friends." He and the other grasshoppers chuckled as they walked back to the anthill. Kimberly followed solemnly, still hanging her head.

As they came upon the group of ants and grasshoppers, Molt exclaimed, "Hey, ya found her! Good for _you_, Hoppy!"

"Don't call me that!" He snapped. "Is the food being gathered?"

"As you requested." Molt nodded. Kimberly finally noticed that the only ants around were Phyllis, Atta, and the council members. She glanced sadly at them, turning away when they looked at her in surprise, never having seen her so depressed.

Kimberly didn't have the heart to tell them the youngest princess was gone, and it was all her fault.

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**A/N With 48 reviews, _Toxic Wings_ is now the most reviewed A Bug's Life fanfic, beating _A bug's life fanfic_ by Neko-Salosa. Not really a goal I was planning on having, but still pretty cool...I have no life, I need offline friends XD**

**I'm assuming the fog when the ants were hurriedly gathering food was in the morning. That means the grasshoppers stayed on the island and had the ants under their thumb for a whole day, since the final showdown was at night...what's gonna happen in one day? XD I'll think of something.**

**I'm not sure if that snakeskin would really stay there, and even still be whole, after over three months. But I knew it would have decayed and been chewed on (I recently read that some squirrels chew a snakeskin, and lick their fur immediately after)**

**I always planned for Kimberly to see the grasshopper with Dot's bandanna (that guy looks like a funny character XD His buddy too) and go into mama bear mode, thinking they hurt her. ESPECIALLY when Thumper implied (he was able to talk in the movie [not just in the bloopers] while the grasshoppers were flying to Ant Island [and while Molt was on "Thumper Duty" XD Poor guy] you can hear Thumper yell "Get those bugs!" though it's kinda hard to make out) he pushed her off a cliff.**

**Kimberly going totally berserk and attacking Thumper is one of her "badass plot points" that I couldn't wait on writing. I guess it was kinda inspired by Prof. Ratigan, in _The Great Mouse Detective_, going feral in the Big Ben sequence. Plus, Kimmy in Insane Mode is so scary-looking, especially in contrast to her normally-mellow self, eve Hopper is startled.**

**I know when Hopper did the "shame on me" thing, the "me" and "you" were mixed up. Firstly, I was mixed up on how the original saying went, and thought it went like that. I researched afterwards, but decided to keep it like that. This is why: Hopper didn't expect to be slapped the first time, ergo, "shame on me"; however, he expected it again, and Kimberly shouldn't have tried to slap him again, but should have anticipated that he would expect it "shame on you".**

**Also, Kimberly doesn't know that Dot saved herself by flying. She only knows that Thumper pushed her off of the cliff, and thinks she didn't make it. Since it was her job to be Dot's babysitter/guardian, she feels she failed. That's why she's so glum.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**VoiceUnheard98: Thanks :D I thought it was the perfect entrance for him to see Kimberly again. Well, they haven't seen a female for a long time; so, Hopper unknowingly saved Kimberly by acting possessive. Kimmy going into Insane Mode (now the new term for her going feral :3) was my favorite part to write. Especially her description. She was actually only fighting Thumper, and the other two grasshoppers were merely holding her back.**

**The Queen of Water: We'll just have to wait and see ;)**

**TheBeldam27: I know, but the lighting seemed to signify that it was morning. No, I have different plans for her ;)**

**I just noticed that XD I guess that means this story's over one month old.**

**Guest: Thanks :)**

* * *

Kimberly stayed at Hopper's side, along with Phyllis and Atta, as he walked around near the anthill, overlooking the food-gathering ants. The female grasshopper was still hanging her head, feeling sad and guilty. "Kimberly, dear, what's the matter?" Phyllis whispered.

She only glanced at the queen and princess, still not wanting to tell them that Dot had been pushed off of a cliff, and possibly didn't survive. Things were already horrible as it was. However, Hopper wasn't thinking the same as the yellowish grasshopper. "I'm _so_ sorry to tell you, your highnesses," He said with mock sadness, even pulling off a sad face, ignoring Kimberly furiously shaking her head. "But it seems my pet/bouncer—you know him as Thumper—chased your younger daughter off a cliff."

Phyllis and Atta gasped in horror. "No!" The queen sobbed. "Not my baby!"

"I'm so sorry, your majesty!" Kimberly cried. "I failed. I had one simple, important job, and I failed miserably."

Neither ant said anything. They hugged each other, sobbing. Kimberly squeezed her eyes shut, not bearing to see them cry. Tears squeezed out of her tightly-shut eyelids. She felt thick, clawed fingers brush the tears off of her thin face. When she opened her eyes, she saw Hopper staring at her, head slightly cocked, with an unreadable expression.

"How dare you!" Atta actually yelled, slapping his hand away from Kimberly. "You think it's funny that my little sister's gone, and you actually comfort Kimberly? How dare you!"

"Don't you speak to me that way!" Hopper scowled. "I can do whatever I want."

"Have you no heart?" Kimberly asked in a monotonous voice. The insects turned to her, noticing that the female grasshopper's eyes looked sad, distant, and empty. "You couldn't have always been this way. No one is born cruel and evil. Not even _you_. Something has to have happened to horrible people to make them horrible. What happened, Hopper? What happened to you that made you so hateful and malicious to these ants, to make your heart so cold and dark?"

The royal ants turned nervously to Hopper, wondering what his reaction would be. The one-eyed grasshopper was silent, with a slightly-surprised expression. This was the first time Kimberly ever referred to him as his given name, and not a nasty name. Her voice sounded empty and full of sadness, and her face was void of any emotion, save for the aforementioned expressions of her eyes. She looked like her brave, fiery, feisty spirit had finally been broken.

And there was also the eerie way she spoke; not her monotonous tone, but as if she was looking into Hopper's soul, trying to unravel his personality and past. He didn't like it, not one little bit.

He scowled darkly at Kimberly. "You keep your thoughts and questions to yourself." He said, pointing a finger at her. "You don't know a thing about me _or_ my past. Nothing. And don't think I'll tell you anything." He continued to walk around the anthill.

Kimberly blinked, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry, your highnesses." She whispered.

Phyllis patted her shoulder, wiping a tear from her own face. Thumper walked by, grinning and growling at the ants. Kimberly curled her lips into a snarl and growled at the scrawny grasshopper, holding up her claws threateningly. Thumper glared at her before leaving them.

"Kimberly?" Phyllis and Atta stared at her in astonishment, never having seen her make that face or sound. The princess said, "You almost looked like-"

Kimberly cried out in pain when a grasshopper pulled on one of her leaf wings. "Those are attached!" She snapped, making the grasshopper jump.

"Why are there leaves on your wings?" He asked, getting Hopper's attention.

"Because those leaves _are_ my wings."

"Hah! You call those wings?! _These_," He turned and buzzed his wings, making a small wind blow Kimberly's antennae fly back. "Are wings!"

"I _used_ to have wings," She retorted as the grasshopper relaxed his wings. "Until the ants cut them off, and I had to substitute leaves for wings."

The grasshopper's eyes widened in shock at the idea of a grasshopper losing its wings, one of its main means of transportation. Hopper sent the insect away and turned to Kimberly. "Spread your wings." He said.

Raising an eyebrow in suspicion, she turned around and did as he said, not buzzing her leaf wings like the other grasshopper had done with his own. She felt him prod and pull at the leaves, though not as hard as the previous grasshopper. Finally, without another word, he continued on. Shrugging in confusion at Phyllis and Atta, Kimberly followed him.

Later that evening, the ants had collected almost every scrap and crumb of food on the island. Hopper had made himself comfortable on the outside throne, with Phyllis on his right side, Atta and Kimberly on his left, and a few other grasshoppers, including Thumper and Molt, on the other sides of the ants. The rest of the grasshoppers gathered the remaining colony of ants into a large crowd after the ants threw their gathering onto the pile by the reclining grasshoppers. Every now and then, Hopper would toss a piece of food to Thumper, who gobbled it down greedily.

Kimberly had broken out of her depressed state, though she was still sad about losing Dot. But she was more alert now, and almost back to her normal self. She jumped when she felt someone's fingers run down her membrane wing stumps. "Jumpy, are we?" Hopper asked rhetorically.

Kimberly merely furrowed her eyebrows at him, twitching her wings. "You _do_ know that you may not be able to fly with fake wings?" He asked, taking his hand away.

She shrugged, "At least I kinda have my wings back."

"Why were your wings cut off in the first place?"

"…Because the ants thought I was a part of your gang." She finally answered, not knowing why she was telling him this, or even speaking to him. "They thought you sent me to the island to spy on them or something. When I didn't tell them what they wanted…they cut off my wings. That was way back in spring, before you and your gang came." She shut her mouth, not wanting to talk anymore. Hopper seemed to take the hint, and left her alone.

Kimberly's antennae perked up at the sound of drums. _What the heck is that?_ Then, a familiar voice yelled, "Ladies and gentlebugs! Larvae of all stages! Rub your legs together for the world's greatest bug circus!"

From the clover forest and around the anthill came the circus wagons, still pulled by the millipedes. Holding the reins was Slim, and with him were Francis and Heimlich. On the second wagon were the two lightning bugs, which were shining their lights like search lights, and the spider playing his instruments. Manny and Gypsy were flying behind the wagon, and Dim was following on foot, with Rosie, and a cannon on his back.

Kimberly and Atta's eyes widened in shock as the wagon came around in front of the throne. "Wait a minute!" Hopper yelled, standing.

The circus wagons pulled to a screeching halt, and the music stopped. "What's going on here?" He glowered down at Atta, who stammered nervously. Kimberly rose to her feet as well, scowling at Hopper and standing over the ant princess.

"Uh, yes," Slim spoke up, chuckling nervously. "We were invited, by Princess Atta, as a surprise for your arrival."

"…Squish 'em." Hopper commanded bluntly.

Kimberly, the ants, and circus bugs all gasped. The five grasshoppers, Thumper, and Molt hovered above the ground, grinning evilly. Dim nervously backed into the cannon, which was now on the ground, and accidentally stepped on it. Tuck and Roll popped out and landed in front of Hopper, proceeding to dance and chant in their usual gibberish. Roll slowly stopped, while his twin kept going. He smacked Tuck, and the bugs began to argue and fight. "…Now _that's_ funny." Hopper grinned lightly.

The other grasshoppers laughed and agreed, sitting back down. "Well, I guess we could use a little entertainment." Hopper decided, sitting down as well and putting his feet up. "Looks like you did something right for once, Princess."

Atta grinned nervously, looking worriedly back at the circus bugs. Kimberly chuckled weakly, sitting back down, as the pill bugs began to roll on the ground. Even though it was a nerve-wrecking moment, she still thought the pill bugs' antics were funny.

Slim jumped down to the ground, laughing nervously. "On with the show!"

Rosie whipped out at Dim, not actually touching him with the whip, making him go in a circle around her, as Tuck and Roll balanced on his back. Molt, who was clapping his hands and chanting about how he loved the circus, and his friends were the only ones at the throne clapping and cheering. Hopper, Thumper, Phyllis, Atta, and Kimberly sat still as they watched.

Dim stopped and lifted his hardened wings, sending the rolled-up pill bugs flying. The insects watched them fly off and bounce on Kimberly's shoulders, unrolling with a "Hey!" They noisily kissed her cheeks before jumping away. Kimberly laughed, though she slowly stopped when she saw Hopper's frown at the pill bugs. When he noticed her looking, he raised an eyebrow. She looked away, wondering why he was frowning at them.

Heimlich sat in the spotlight from one of the lightning bugs, wearing a diaper made from dead leaves, a bonnet made from a flower, and sucking on a bottle. He threw the bottle away and yelled, "Ba-ba all gone! Baby wants pie!"

Francis flew up, holding a red berry pie. "Pie? He asked for it," He grinned to the grasshoppers. "Should I give it to him?"

"Yeah!" Molt and his friends urged. "Give 'im pie! Give 'im pie!"

Winding up, Francis threw the pie into Heimlich's face. The berry juice squirted out and landed on Atta, Kimberly, Molt, and the other grasshoppers. The three latter insects cheered. Atta and Kimberly wiped the juice off of themselves. The female grasshopper laughed as well, shrugging when Atta gave her a look. "What? It was pretty funny, you gotta admit."

"Thank you, gentlemen," Slim said, who also had berry juice on his face, as he juggled red berries. "Always an intellectual treat. Say, how many roaches does it take to screw in a light bulb? Can't tell. As soon as the light goes on, they scatter!"

The grasshoppers laughed as though it were the funniest joke they ever heard. Kimberly and Atta rolled their eyes. "I've heard that so many times, it's not funny to me anymore." The female grasshopper remarked.

"You and me both, darling." Hopper agreed, still watching the circus bugs.

Kimberly cocked an antenna, grimacing at the nickname. She looked towards the big tree, and spotted a trail of young ants climbing up the tree and into the large hole the bird was in, led by a larger ant. _Flik?! _Eyes widening, she patted Atta's arm and nodded towards the tree. She and the princess exchanged astonished expressions, and glanced nervously at Hopper. Luckily, he didn't see the ants go into the tree.

Dim pushed a large Chinese food box out from behind the wagons as Manny said in a mysterious voice, "From the most mysterious regions of uncharted Asia, I give you, the Chinese Cabinet of Metamorphosis! Utilizing psychic vibrations, I shall select the perfect volunteer." He placed the tips of his fingers on his head and closed his eyes, humming, as he walked around.

"Ooh, ooh, pick me!" Molt exclaimed, holding up his hand. He groaned when Manny went by, and clenched his eyes shut, putting his fingers on his head. "Aw, come on, I'm askin' ya with my brain!"

Still humming, Manny eventually stopped in front of Phyllis, removed his fingers from his head, and opened his eyes. "Aha! Why, your majesty!" He held out a hand to the queen.

"Me?" Phyllis asked, taking the mantis's hand and standing.

Thumper suddenly stood up and snarled at the mantis. Kimberly leaned forward and growled deeply at the scrawny grasshopper. "No, no, Thumper, down." Hopper said, holding out a hand, prompting Thumper to sit back down. "Let her go. Maybe he'll saw her in half." He snickered under his breath.

Kimberly rolled her eyes, curling a lip slightly. _Now that's _especially_ not funny._

Manny led Phyllis to the Chinese box. "As you ascend the dung beetle to the unknown," He said, helping Phyllis onto Dim, who then flew up so she could climb into the box. "Put your trust in the mysteries that are beyond mere mortal comprehension."

"Ooh, this is gonna be good!" Hopper said. He glanced at Atta and Kimberly, pointed at the latter, and spun his finger in a circle.

Glancing at each other nervously and in confusion, Kimberly and Atta switched seats so the female grasshopper was sitting next to Hopper. "I call upon the ancient Szechwan spirits to inhabit the body of our volunteer!" As Manny began chanting "Transformation" and waving his arms dramatically, Kimberly jumped when she felt Hopper spin one of her antennae around his finger, and trace his claw to the tip of the curled appendage. She twitched her antennae away from his finger. This didn't seem to deter him, as he lowered his hand to her wings, and run a claw down the backs of each of her hardened wings. She twitched her wings and hissed, "Don't touch me!"

"And now, insectus…transformitus!" At the last word, Gypsy leapt out of the box, facing away from the grasshoppers, and spread her wings. Molt and his friends gasped, startled, at the yellow eye-like spots on her wings. Then, she spun around, revealing the beautiful blue and purple patterns on the inside of her wings.

"Ooh!" The grasshoppers said as Gypsy floated to the ground.

"Ooh, pretty!" Molt smiled.

"Thank you!" Gypsy and Manny bowed, hand-in-hand, as the grasshoppers applauded. "Thank you!

Kimberly lightly clapped her hands as well, ignoring Hopper playing with her antenna again. "That was amazing!" Molt exclaimed. "I have no—how did they do that?! I have _no_ idea where she went."

Behind Gypsy and Manny, Slim, Francis, Tuck, and Roll were nudging away the Chinese box, which was on its side and open, revealing the inside to be empty. Hopper noticed this, and immediately sat up. "Wait!" He snapped, making the insects freeze. He stood up and scowled, "Where is she?"

"Well, uh, actually-"

Gypsy came to Manny's rescue and stood in front of him, spreading her wings. "I'm sorry. A magician never reveals his secrets." She said.

"That's very true, Hoppy," Molt agreed. "Where would the mystery be if we all knew how it was-" He was cut off when Hopper threw a piece of grain at his face. "Shutting up!"

Kimberly and Atta exchanged nervous glances, looking up at the tree. "C'mon, Flik!" Atta muttered. "Some time tonight?"

"Please, Flik, what's taking so long?" Kimberly whispered, watching as Hopper and the other grasshoppers stalked to Manny and Gypsy, demanding to know where the queen was. The female grasshopper gasped as Hopper began to strangle Manny. "Stop it!" She yelled, leaping over to them. "Let go of him!" Her antennae perked up as she heard a loud cawing. Looking up, she saw a dark shape began to glide out of the hole in the tree.

"Bird!" She screamed, pointing. Hopper looked up to see the bird nose-diving in their direction. He and the other insects screamed in fright, and they all ducked, covering their heads, as the bird flew by and barely missed them.

"Bird! It's a bird!" Hopper yelled, standing up.

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**A/N This is definitely one of my longer chapters.**

**I felt that Phyllis and Atta would have noticed Dot was gone all day. I'm not sure if they learned she fell off a cliff, since Atta was calling out for Dot when the bird crashed, but I'll work with what I have.**

**Kimberly's forlorn speech is what I think about villains and general bad people in Non/Disney movies. As I kinda preached in my previous stories (especially with Scar from _The Lion King_ and Thrax from _Osmosis Jones_) something had to have happened to the villains to make them act the way they do, whether it's how they were raised, or events leading to their behavior, whether one big one or several small ones. For example, Scar pretty much has a solid backstory, though some people alter details, being that he was jealous of Mufasa for being heir to the throne and getting most of their father's attention.**

**Now, I don't think anyone's quite explored Hopper's backstory, being that ABL doesn't seem to be one of the more popular stories, like TLK is. I could be wrong though. But anyway, as you can probably imagine, I'm gonna try and cook up my own backstory for our favorite one-eyed grasshopper. I've already got a good idea, though I won't say, but am still working out some details and bugs (lame joke is lame X3)**

**I think the circus bugs performing for the grasshoppers is one of my favorite moments. Hopper was right, the pill bugs fighting WAS funny. I think their gibberish language was a key factor. Even though it's a nerve-wrecking moment, and every non-grasshopper is feeling scared, Kimberly can't help but be amused by the circus acts. I especially loved the "baby wants pie" moment XD I even added in my own circus act, with Tuck and Roll being launched into the air and landing on Kimmy's shoulders. And I think EVERYONE'S heard the "how many objects does it take to screw in/change a lightbulb"...how do insects even know what a lightbulb is? Eh, cartoon logic *shrugs***

**I always gotta laugh at Molt "asking Manny with his brain" Another one of my favorite moments from him, after him "striking up the band" I don't know why, but that part always makes me laugh XD**

**I am gonna have FUN writing the next chapter: the bird attack! Like I said before, the fake bird flying around would make such an awesome ride! You can read about my own interpretation for the ride in the Author's Note in Chapter 3.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**The Queen of Water: Thanks :)**

**WolfeAnimation: Glad you liked it :D As stated earlier, one of a grasshopper's main means of transportation are its wings. Since Kimberly had her wings removed, save for walking, running, and jumping, she was completely grounded. Plus, since Hopper and his gang pretty much get around solely by flying, it's awful for them to imagine life without their wings.**

**As for Hopper being more flirty and touchy, it doesn't really have anything to do with Kimberly's wings. Since he was angry about the ants not gathering the full offering he "requested," he briefly forgot about Kimberly. Since he was more relaxed, especially while watching the circus bugs (he looked kinda badass when he was just reclining with his feet up, I dunno) and had Kimberly by his side, he was able to concentrate on her better.**

**Guest: Thanks :) They're kinda like high school besties/sisters.**

**TheBeldam27: I didn't really say _I_ thought the joke was old, only Kimberly did. But thanks :D**

**darthcat: Thanks XD You'll get that questioned in this chapter ;)**

* * *

As the "bird" flew around the anthill, cawing, the ants broke free from the group and began running around, screaming. Atta and Kimberly laughed as they and the circus bugs joined in.

The "bird" swooped down, nearly catching some grasshoppers as they dove for cover. Over the screaming, Kimberly could hear Hopper, as he cowered with Molt, cry out, "Don't let it get me! Don't let it get me!"

Giggling at the big, bad grasshopper being terrified, Kimberly leapt up as the bird swooped down again, and climbed into its open beak, coming face-to-face with a familiar blue ant. "Hi, Flik." She grinned. "Glad to have you back."

"Hey, Kimberly." Flik answered. "It's good to be back."

Her antennae perked up as she heard a familiar voice conducting the ants controlling the wings. Looking over the large shell, she saw Dot standing in front of the Blueberry Scouts, who were the ones flapping the wings. "Dot!" Kimberly cried out happily. "You're okay!"

"Yeah!" Dot nodded, grinning. "Thumper didn't even scare me!"

Chuckling, Kimberly looked back out the "bird's" beak, watching the show down below. "This is actually really fun."

"I gotta agree." Flik laughed.

"Well, good luck, I think I'll enjoy the show down below." With a wink, Kimberly leapt back out of the "bird" as it swooped down again. She tumbled and rolled to a stop next to Slim, who had some of the berries he was juggling earlier. "Berry?" The stick bug asked with a grin, holding out some red berries.

Looking around, Kimberly saw some ants and circus bugs cover themselves in the juice to make it look like they had been injured by the bird. "Don't mind if I do." She smiled, taking the berries. She crushed them and smeared the red juice on her arms, chest, and hardened wings. She piled a bit of juice and berry remains around the base of her antennae, and even smeared some juice over one of her eyes.

Hopper screamed in horror upon seeing Slim with a crushed berry on his eye, thinking his eye had been poked out. He ran away, only to run into some "injured" ants, moaning like zombies. Screaming again, he turned and saw Kimberly, covered in "blood," and a headless Heimlich. Kimberly moaned and cried out in mock pain, clutching her arm, as she reached out towards the one-eyed grasshopper.

Hopper screamed again and ran in another direction. Kimberly relaxed as Heimlich popped his head up and licked the juice off of his lips. "Mmm, boysenberry." He smiled, making Kimberly laugh.

Deciding to be extra mischievous and mean, she ran after Hopper and leapt onto his back, screaming in mock pain. He rolled over and yelled out in surprise. He pushed Kimberly's face back with his top hands, while his bottom arms were pinned to the ground. Then, he kicked her away, yelling, "Get off me, crazy bitch!"

_How ironic. Earlier, he was flirting with me. Now _he's_ the one pushing _me_ away._ Kimberly chuckled, standing. She turned towards the "bird," jaw dropping in horror when she saw the tail was on fire. "The bird! The bird's on fire!" She screamed, forgetting Hopper still saw her. She flinched when she finally saw him looking at her strangely. Then, he looked up at the bird and scowled darkly. _He knows!_

_I don't care, the kids are in danger!_ "Atta!" She yelled, catching sight of the princess. She ran to her, wiping the juice off. "Atta! The kids are in the bird! Dot and the other kids are in there!"

"Dot?!" Atta exclaimed as the "bird's" rope separated from its back, and fell to the ground, landing near the anthill. The ants and circus bugs ran to the "bird" as the kids ran out, coughing. They gathered around Atta and Kimberly. "Where's Dot?" Atta asked. "Has anyone seen Dot?"

Kimberly looked among the kids before she heard a scream. Looking up, she saw Hopper standing by the "bird," holding Dot's head in one hand again. "Whose idea was this?!" He yelled, looking extremely angry and embarrassed. "Huh?!" He turned to Atta and Kimberly. "Was it _yours_, Princess? Maybe your wingless grasshopper friend?"

"Just get behind us, girls," Atta muttered. "It's gonna be okay."

Kimberly stood in front of the ants, glaring at the one-eyed grasshopper. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the remaining grasshoppers, including Molt, standing in front of the crowd of ants and circus bugs.

"Leave them alone, Hopper!" Flik yelled, running out of the "bird". "The bird was _my_ idea! _I'm_ the one you want!"

Hopper dropped Dot and wordlessly snapped his fingers. Out of nowhere, Thumper leapt at and attacked Flik, kicking and punching the poor ant. Kimberly stood still with the ants, flinching at every blow Flik took. Even Molt groaned sympathetically, "Ohh!"

Finally having enough, Kimberly attacked Thumper, snarling and growling. Ignoring the ant, Thumper scratched and bit at his new opponent, still growling. Upon hearing Hopper's fingers snapping again, Thumper froze, panting and glowering at Kimberly. Her pupils were still shrunken, and she still curled her lips into a glare, but stood still as well, standing in front of Flik.

"Where do you get the gall to do this to me?" Hopper asked the ant, genuinely curious.

Flik pushed himself up, now sporting a black eye. "You were-you were gonna squish the queen."

Everyone gasped, including Phyllis, who had joined the council members among the ant colony. Kimberly was snapped from her anger spell upon hearing the ant, whom she considered a mother, was threatened. "It's true." Dot nodded.

Hopper glanced at the young princess with a deadpan expression. "I hate when someone gives away the ending." He rolled his eyes, gesturing at Thumper.

The scrawny grasshopper pushed Kimberly aside and kicked Flick again. Then, he stood aside as Hopper approached the downed ant. "You piece of dirt! No, I'm wrong. You're _lower_ than dirt. You're an ant!" He turned the ant colony and continued, "Let this be a lesson to all you ants: ideas are very dangerous things. You are mindless, soil-shoving losers, put on this earth to serve us!"

Kimberly glared at Hopper's back as she helped Flik to his feet. "You're wrong, Hopper." He groaned, catching the one-eyed grasshopper's attention, as well as the other insects'. He took a deep breath and said strongly and bravely, "Ants are _not_ meant to serve grasshoppers!"

Hopper had a curious expression when Flik first spoke, but as he continued, he scowled, his dead eye twitching as he advanced towards the ant. "I've seen these ants do great things. And year after year, they somehow manage to pick food for themselves and you. So-so _who's_ the weaker species? Ants don't serve grasshoppers; it's _you_ who need us!"

Hopper froze upon hearing the last statement. He turned to the ants, which began to mutter among themselves. Kimberly cocked an antenna when she saw Hopper's expression: angered, astonished, and a slight bit of fear.

"We're a lot stronger than you say we are." Flik continued as Hopper turned back to him, jaw still slack. "…And you know that, don't you?"

For a beat, Hopper did nothing. Then, he scowled darkly, pushing Kimberly aside as she stood in front of Flik, and kicked him to the ground. He placed one foot on the ant's head, and with a sadistic grin, raised his leg up high to crush his head. He froze when Atta zipped down to stand in front of the fallen ant with a scowl. "Well, Princess!" Hopper chuckled, putting his foot back on the ground. He grinned charmingly at Kimberly as she stood next to Atta. "And Ms. Kimberly as well? My, aren't we all getting brave?"

"Um, Hopper?" Molt spoke up. "I hate to interrupt, but, um,"

Hopper turned, and to his surprise, saw the ants and circus bugs all glowering at him. "You ants stay back!" He yelled, pointing at them.

Instead of cowering, they all linked arms, and continued to glare. "Oh, this was such a bad idea!" Molt groaned backing away with his friends.

"You see, Hopper," Atta smiled, finally standing up to the larger insect. "Nature has a certain order: the ants pick the food,"

"The ants _keep_ the food," Kimberly added as Atta began to hover and shove her face close to Hopper's.

"And the grasshoppers leave!"

"This is no longer your island, Hopper." Kimberly said, grinning in a somewhat evil way. "It belongs to the only insects who ever truly owned it; the strongest insects here with us now: the ants!"

On her last word, the ant colony roared, running to the grasshoppers. Most of them flew away in fright, and Molt literally jumped out of his skin and hopped away to hide in the grass. Atta and Kimberly helped Flik to his feet. "I'm so proud of you, Flik!" The princess cried.

"Charge-a!" Tuck and Roll yelled, balling up and rolling down the anthill. Six ants cartwheeled behind them, following the colony as they chased the remaining grasshoppers away.

"Where are you going?!" Hopper yelled to his fleeing fellow insects. "They're just ants!" He grunted in surprise when Tuck and Roll bounced off of his back, making him fall to the ground. The cartwheeling ants surrounded Hopper, keeping him pinned to the ground.

Dot ran, skidding to a stop and screaming when Thumper landed in front of her. Remembering what her babysitter did to Hopper months ago, when the scrawny grasshopper bent down, Dot slapped him across the face. "No!" She yelled as Thumper lightly shook his head with a startled expression. "Bad grasshopper! Bad grasshopper! Go home!" She pointed after the other grasshoppers, which were flying away.

Thumper growled at the young princess, but this time, she stood her ground. Dim slammed onto the ground behind her and roared loudly, sounding like a dinosaur. Thumper's glare turned into a look of utter terror and horror, and turned around, following the other grasshoppers, whining and yelping all the way. Dot and Dim laughed, high-fiving.

"Come back here, you cowards!" Hopper yelled at the fleeing grasshoppers, standing up again, unaware of the ants closing in on him. "Don't leave!"

The surrounding ants grabbed Hopper and lifted him above their heads. "To the cannon!" Flik yelled.

"To the cannon!" The ants echoed, approaching the waiting cannon. Hopper flapped his wings frantically, screaming, but the ants' grip was too strong, and he was shoved into the cannon so only his head and top shoulders were sticking out. He glanced to his right to see Manny, Gypsy, the music-playing spider, and even P.T. Flea. As the spider played a drum roll, Manny, Gypsy, and P.T. pointed up and behind the cannon.

Looking over his shoulder, Hopper saw Dim land on the offering stone behind him, waving and grinning. Realizing what was going to happen, he looked back at the ants. "Happy landings, Hopper!" Flik grinned, saluting.

Kimberly kissed her fingers and waved them at the trapped grasshopper, chuckling. "By-bye, big guy."

As Dim prepared to jump, thunder rumbled loudly. Everyone froze, and Flik looked beyond the offering stone, ignoring Hopper as he began to struggle. To the ant's horror, a curtain of falling water began to quickly approach the island.

"Rain!" Flik screamed, just as giant drops of water began to rain down. Screaming, the ants ran to the anthill. In all the commotion, Flik fell again. Atta crouched down to help him up.

A drop of water had fallen near the cannon, causing it to bounce and roll to the side. Hopper's arms were freed in the process. He pushed himself up, shaking his head slightly, before looking up and searching around. Finally, he saw the fallen blue ant who had stood up to him again, this time causing a riot and rebellion. He glared darkly at the ant, and glanced up at Dim, who was still on the offering stone. A drop of water fell on the stone, knocking Dim off. Thinking quickly, Hopper rolled himself and the cannon over. Dim fell on the red end, popping Hopper out like a cork from a whine bottle. Using the thrust and momentum, he spread his wings in flight, grabbed Flik by the ankle, and flew into the huge, bare tree.

"Flik!" Atta cried out in anguish. The circus bugs leapt into action; Francis grabbed Slim, and with Rosie, Tuck, and Roll on his back, Dim grabbed Heimlich, and they all flew after the grasshopper.

Kimberly saw Hopper grab Flik, as well as the circus bugs taking off after them. Scowling, she began running after them, and began to flap her leaf wings, muttering, "C'mon, wings, fly for me. Fly, fly!" She jumped up as high as she could, eyes squeezed shut. She slowly opened them, squealing in delight when she realized she didn't fall to the ground, and wasn't on the ground at all. She was flying again!

Whooping with delight, she clenched her fists and took off after the circus bugs, and after Hopper.

* * *

**A/N This one was REALLY fun to write :D**

**I hope it wasn't too unusual for Kimberly to be able to leap into the "bird" like that. I just needed her to realize Dot was okay, and kinda pass the message to Atta. At any rate, it looked like the "bird" had eaten her, so it could've scared the grasshoppers further XD**

**And of course, she had to be involved in the Zombie Festival XD Hopper was really being scare silly XD And I also had fun writing Kimberly when she was being extra mean and going after Hopper like a zombie. Of course, the fun had to end at some point...**

**I thought it'd be clever to have Dot slapping Thumper because she remembered Kimberly doing the same to Hopper, and wanted to be brave like her favorite grasshopper. Fun fact: Dim's roar was the same roar used for the T-Rex in Jurassic Park: The Lost World. Me being a Jurassic Park fan, I find that so cool!**

**The moment everyone was waiting for: Kimmy finally flies! :D I was initially nervous about making her fly with leaf wings, but some of you were all up for it, even when I hardly, if ever, suggested it. Plus, Disney/Pixar/etc. don't necessarily follow the law of physics.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**darthcat: I think everyone might be glad for her :) She's never really "beat him up," she just scared him by jumping on him. The only grasshopper she's really fought was Thumper.**

**FlikxDot shipper: I think everyone felt sorry for him.**

**Guest: Super Kimberly, with her artificial, but fully-functional, leaf wings!...That actually sounded kinda cool XD**

* * *

Kimberly flew around the branches of the tree, searching for Hopper and the circus bugs. She saw Francis flying around frantically, calling out for Slim. She also found Dim stuck in the branches, with Rosie still on his back, Heimlich in his arms and legs, and the pill bugs dangling from the rhino beetle by two spider web strands tied around their waists. Tuck was holding a brown, crooked antenna. "Guys!" Kimberly exclaimed, hovering in front of them. "What happened?"

"Kimmy!" Rosie exclaimed. "You can fly!"

"She can fly!" Dim and Heimlich echoed. Tuck and Roll spoke gibberish.

"Never mind that, where's Hopper?"

"Tuck and Roll were able to grab him, and pull off one of his antennae," Rosie explained. "But he tricked us, and got away."

Kimberly snickered inwardly as the pill bug twins played with the antenna, but shook her head. "Do you know where he went? Does he still have Flik?"

"Yeah, he still has him."

"Princess Atta flew by!" Heimlich spoke up. "And I saw ze bugs flying tovards ze bird's nest!"

"Bird's nest?" Kimberly's eyes widened. Then, her mind flashed back to Flik finding out that Hopper was afraid of birds. "Bird's nest!" She grinned. "Thanks, guys!" She flew quickly towards her destination.

"Wait!" Rosie called after her. "Can't you help us try and get Dim unstuck?"

* * *

Hopper finally landed in front of Flik, barely noticing only one segment of his left antenna was left. Flik skidded to a stop, exclaiming in shock, "Ahh! Hopper!"

"You think it's over?!" Hopper snarled, advancing towards the ant, unknowingly towards a bird's nest.

"No, no, no!" Flik pleaded, backing away. "I-I can explain!"

"All your little stunt did was buy them time!"

"No, please! Hopper!"

Hopper grabbed Flik's neck tightly, leaning closer. "I'll get more grasshoppers and be back next season," He threatened. "But you won't!"

Over the thunder and rain, the two insects heard approaching buzzing. "Hoooppeeeeerrrrrrr!" A voice screamed.

Hopper's grip on Flik's neck loosened as he turned towards the voice, raising an eyebrow. All Flik saw was a blur of yellow and brown, and he was suddenly lying on the ground, coughing. He quickly crawled back to where Atta was hiding. They both gaped at the scene before them.

Kimberly, snarling, was scrabbling and scratching at Hopper with her sharp orange claws, sharp teeth bared. He pushed at her face and kicked her away. She jumped to her feet and attacked him again, looking like a female and yellow version of Thumper.

Avoiding her teeth, Hopper rolled over and pinned all of her arms to the ground. "Don't think that just because you're a female, or my own species, that _you_ won't get away scot-free!" He growled.

"Get off me, you brute!" She yelled, moving her arms to try and get them free. She tried to kick him, but he moved his feet so he was standing on her legs.

"Like I said, I'll be back next season with even _more_ grasshoppers! But your ant friend won't be back." He leaned his face close to hers, glaring darkly. "As for _you_-"

Both grasshoppers froze at a high-pitched squeak. Kimberly leaned her head back, and Hopper looked up to see they were still near the bird's nest. The noise was the red and orange bird, chirping at them. Kimberly's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she laid in frozen terror. "Well, what's _this_?" Hopper grinned, not realizing the danger they were in. "Another one of your ant friend's bird tricks?"

"No." Kimberly shook her head frantically. She still wanted Hopper to let go of her, but she was too terrified to move even if he did let her go.

"Are there a bunch of little girls in this one too?" He asked, either not listening, or not believing her. He let one of her arms go and waved at the bird. "Hello, girls!"

The bird screeched loudly, blowing the grasshopper's antennae back. Realizing it was real, Hopper screamed in horror and fright, jumping back. Kimberly leapt to her feet and tried to jump away. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted by her wings. "Oh-no, no! No! No!" She began screaming, nearly crying in fear as the bird hopped to its nest. "Please, no! No! Help me! Please, somebody help!" She twisted her body and flapped her wings frantically, trying to get away.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw dirt and stones being hurled towards the bird. It shook its head in pain and irritation, swinging Kimberly back and forth. The hard swinging, and her wings still flapping frantically, caused her wing stumps to pull painfully out of the spider web binds. She cried out in pain as she fell to the ground, grunting when she landed. Not wasting any time, she began leaping away, panting heavily. She didn't dare look back in case the bird was still behind her.

She screamed when something pulled her into a hole in a large branch. Someone was holding her tightly to their chest, pinning her arms to her sides. They held a hand over her mouth, silencing her screams. "Shhh!" A voice hissed.

Kimberly froze, realizing it was Hopper who had pulled her into the hole. She was about to struggle again, but then she heard rumbling outside. She looked out the hole, gasping under Hopper's hand when she saw the bird, searching around. She heard Hopper's scared pants behind her, and felt him hold her tighter against his chest. She herself was so frightened, she didn't realize she was gripping his arms tightly, or leaning back against him and away from the hole.

Feeling something wet and slimy over her foot, she squealed in fright, pulling his wrist down. "Shut up!"

"Something slithered across my foot!" She whispered frantically, pulling both her feet towards her body.

"Pardon _me_!" A blind earthworm snapped, moving towards the hole, unaware of the danger outside. "What's going on out there?"

Hopper and Kimberly stared down at the worm, and then glanced at each other. Shifting one leg around the female grasshopper, Hopper kicked the worm out of the branch. "Hey, no need for that!" The worm snapped as the bird noticed it.

Kimberly shut her eyes tightly as the worm screamed as the bird grabbed it and flew away. Realizing that could have been her or Hopper, and remembering how she felt the breath of the bird on her back, Kimberly began hyperventilating. "Hey, calm down!" She heard Hopper say, tilting her face up towards him as her eyes opened again. "Calm down, deep breaths. Hey, look at me! Deep breaths. Relax. It's gone! The bird's gone!" He began taking deep breaths to both help her and himself calm down.

Kimberly copied Hopper's deep breathing, feeling her racing heart finally begin to slow down. The male grasshopper's face began to blur, and she saw black splotches in her vision. The last thing she saw before blacking out was Hopper's chest as she fell against him.

* * *

Kimberly moaned sleepily, finally waking up. Through her barely-opened eyelids, she saw that she was still in the branch, and felt snuggled up against something warm. Wait, not something…someone.

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she turned her head to look at what she was laying on. She saw a brown exoskeleton-covered chest. When she looked up, she saw Hopper lying back against the wall, asleep and snoring softly, with his head leaning to the side. His arms were still around her.

Kimberly screamed and scrambled away backwards, falling out onto the ground outside. Hopper was startled awake with a grunt. He shook his head and looked towards Kimberly, who was standing up again, backing away with a frightened expression. "Well, _that's_ the best wakeup call I ever got." He said, stepping out and stretching.

"Stay away from me, you monster!" She snapped.

"Monster? Me?" He felt his sore antenna, flinching slightly. "I believe I saved you from a bigger and deadlier monster just last night. And what thanks do I get? None."

"Fine, tha-"

"And who was the one who calmed you down when you were freaking out?"

"I get it! Thank you!" Kimberly yelled. "I'm grateful that you saved me, and calmed me down. But that don't excuse the fact that you've treated the ants so cruelly, _and_ threatened to kill at least two of them! What have the ants ever done to _you_?!"

"You don't know anything!" He suddenly yelled, looking very angry. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Why do you even care for them?" He asked, keeping his eyes shut. "Like I said before, they'll never trust you. They hate grasshoppers; they always have, and they always will."

"Because you treated them horribly." Kimberly said, crossing her arms.

"Believe what you will." He shrugged, opening his eyes and turning around.

"Where are you going?"

"Not sure why it's any of your concern, but there's a certain ant who I need to 'speak' with." He punched his left top hand with his top right one.

Kimberly's eyes widened in realization. "No! You can't!"

Hopper didn't turn as he continued to walk. Kimberly brushed her antennae back, groaning quietly. She bit her lip nervously, eyes darting around in thought, before finally coming to a decision. "Hopper!" She ran after him. "Hopper, wait a minute!"

* * *

**A/N Even though part of this chapter is close to the end of the film, I think the bulk is AU, especially when Kimberly crashes into Hopper and saves Flik from being strangled.**

**What's especially AU is instead of grabbing Hopper, the bird grabbed Kimberly. Luckily, it only grabbed her by the leaves on her back, so when the binds broke, they didn't pull anything major off; just her wings.**

**I always planned for Kimberly to escape the bird, and as she's running away, Hopper grabs her, and they hide. Then, after getting startled by a worm (since Kimmy's afraid of snakes, anything she doesn't see and that feels long she thinks is a snake) Hopper kicks it out to drive the bird away. The scene I imagine would show the worm and grasshoppers, with the worm crawling towards the hole, wondering what's going on (since worms are blind, I figured they can still hear, as well as sense rumbles in the ground) Then the screen shows just Hopper and Kimberly's faces, with their eyes looking down at the worm, and then at each other. And finally, the outside of the branch they're hiding in, and Hopper's foot kicks the worm out.**

**Since Kimberly barely escaped the jaws of death, literally, she's gonna have a panic attack. Plus, since birds are the things he fears the most (with good reason, since Molt said he was almost eaten by one) Hopper's bound to feel a little lightheaded and panicky himself. I think after Kimberly passed out, he either fainted too, or just fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. Between running from the fake bird, flying off with Flik, following Atta and Flik to the bird's nest, fighting Kimberly (in this AU) and running like hell from that bird, he's bound to be feeling pretty tired; plus, getting scared kinda zaps your energy too.**

**I also always planned for Kimberly to wake up, only to find herself snuggled against Hopper, who was still holding her from the previous night when they were hiding from the bird. I thought it was funny when Kimberly screamed and fell out of the branch. Kinda inspired by a scene in _The __Incredibles_, another Pixar film, when the two siblings, Violet and Dash, were asleep in the jungle, Dash saw he was laying on his sister, and he jumped off, yelling and groaning like she was covered in germs. Actually, considering his age, cooties would've been a better term XD**

**Hopper saying he saved Kimberly has a bigger meaning than just him pulling her into the hiding space...It'll be elaborated further in the next chapter ;) As well as why Kimberly's calling Hopper back. You can try and guess Hopper's bigger meaning when he said he saved her, and why she's going after him.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**TheBeldam27: I both like and hate cliffhangers, they get me excited for the next chapter, but I sometimes get kinda impatient ^^;**

**Guest: No, she's not betraying them. Let's just leave it at that ;)**

**darthcat: Thanks :) Well, it's not gonna be that simple. It's gonna take something big to convince him to leave them alone.**

**I didn't say, but although Atta and Flik saw the bird grab Kimberly, they looked away, and didn't see her get away. So, yeah, basically they think she got eaten. There's gonna be some big reactions when she shows face at the anthill ;)**

* * *

Hopper walked back the way he and Kimberly ran, fingering his short antenna. He almost didn't hear Kimberly yelling at him until she leapt over him, twisting around in midair to face him as she landed. He skidded to a stop, blinking in surprise. _She might not be able to fly anymore, but damn, she's a good jumper._

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I have a proposition that can make us both…at least half-happy."

Hopper raised an eyebrow. "…I'm listening."

Brushing her antennae back, Kimberly put on a brave face. "Here's the deal: you and your gang have to stay away from Ant Island, and the ants-actually, just stay away from ants, period,"

He scowled, "You can't tell me what t-"

"And," She interrupted. "In return, I…I'll take you up on your offer for a place in your gang."

Hopper froze, wide-eyed. "Excuse me?"

"If you leave all ants alone, especially the ones on Ant Island, and stay away from Ant Island…I'll join your gang. That's what you've wanted, right?"

Hopper didn't deny that he didn't want Kimberly to be part of his gang. It was something he had wanted ever since meeting her, even when she rejected his advances and offer. But he never dreamed that she herself would offer to join herself. Especially at the cost of him leaving the ants of Ant Island alone. "This is a trick." He scowled.

She shook her head, "No, I'm serious."

"Why woul-"

"Because unlike _you_, I care for the ants. I know that they hate me, and will never accept me. _That_, you're right about. But there are still some ants that actually like me: Dot, the queen, Atta, and Flik. And I'm going to protect _all_ of them."

Hopper rubbed his chin and crossed his lower arms, eyeing the female grasshopper. "…So, in order for you to join my gang, we have to leave Ant Island, and the ants on Ant Island alone?"

"And other ants as well, yes." She nodded. "Ants that don't live on Ant Island are included."

_She's smart to block that loophole. But, then again, I _did_ say once that I liked that quality of her._ "And you'll stick to the deal?"

"You have my word. I keep my promises."

The one-eyed grasshopper pursed his lips in thought. _Keep those ants under my thumb and keep getting free food…or finally get what I also wanted, that being Kimberly?_

As if reading his thoughts, Kimberly spoke up, "Now that they know they can stand up to bigger insects, the ants probably won't be too scared to do it again if needed."

Hopper grunted in response. _She has a point._ "And they won't need you and your gang for 'protection' either."

"How do _you_ know about that?!" He snapped.

"The queen and Atta told me. And I was there when you preached about how other insects would take advantage of the ants. I'm not stupid. And about other insects taking advantage of them, isn't that somewhat hypocritical of you to say?" She sighed, "We can ramble on all day, but that won't get us anywhere. That's my deal: you leave the ants alone, and I come with you and your gang. Deal?" She held out a hand.

Hopper glanced down at her hand, keeping silent for a few seconds, before asking, "You _do_ know you're making a deal with the devil?"

"If it keeps my friends safe, I'll do it."

Hopper finally clasped her hand in a handshake, nodding with a smirk, "Deal."

Kimberly nodded in return, grimacing slightly. She did feel as though she were making a deal with the devil. _If it keeps my friends safe._ She repeated in her head. Furrowing her eyebrows slightly, she gripped the other grasshopper's hand and pulled him closer so their faces nearly touched. "Remember this, One-Eye: if you hurt any ant—I don't care if it's one from Ant Island or not—or even step foot on Ant Island, the deal is off. I come back to the island, and if you show your ugly mug around here again…you'll have more to worry about than that bird and the ants causing a rebellion combined." She let his hand go and stepped back, crossing both pairs of arms.

"You have my word, darling." Hopper grinned charmingly. He didn't doubt that she wouldn't put up a fight.

"Don't call me that." She grumbled through clenched teeth.

"What was that?"

"I asked if…if I could spend one last day with the ants. It'll also help me get my wings back."

Hopper scowled darkly at the request. Since he would no longer be affiliated with the ants, he wanted to leave the island as soon as possible, especially in case the ants still had that cannon and it still worked. It was only dumb luck that he avoided getting shot out of the island, risking getting injured or even killed upon landing. But it was only one day, and she did mention she would get her wings again. "You wouldn't rather be carried?" He tried.

Kimberly only scowled at him. "That's what I thought." He sighed heavily. "All right, just one day. We'll be leaving when twilight starts to set in. Truth be told, I don't like flying at night if I can't help it."

"That sounds fair." She nodded.

"And to make sure you don't back out-"

"I won't!"

"Just to be sure," He repeated. "I'll be in the grass. I won't let the ants see me, but you'll know I'm there. And that reminds me, what will you tell the ants? Unless you plan on leaving without saying anything."

"I'll think of something."

"All right, then. Since the lake's filled with water from last night's downpour," He held up his hands, cocking an eyebrow. "Unless you'd rather swim?"

Kimberly grimaced. She wasn't a good swimmer, and only preferred to swim if absolutely necessary. "Just this once." She grumbled.

Chuckling, Hopper took hold of her upper arms, and took off, letting her dangle. Kimberly certainly wasn't afraid of heights, but she kept her body tense until her feet touched the ground and Hopper let her go. "Remember," He whispered. "I'll be watching from the grass. We leave at twilight."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded before walking back to the anthill.

It was still morning, and everyone, ants and non-ants, were out and about. The only things left of the bird were the skeletal fixtures and the noise shell.

"Kimmy!" Dot squealed, running up to the yellowish grasshopper. "You're okay!"

Kimberly scooped the young princess up in her arms, hugging her. She remembered just twenty-four hours ago, she thought Dot was dead. It still seemed miraculous that she was all right. "Thumper said you fell off the cliff." She said.

"I did. But look!" Fluttering her small wings with a soft buzz, Dot hovered out of Kimberly's arms. "My wings are all grown up!"

Kimberly clapped her hands, eyes sparkling. "That's great! I told you you'd be flying someday."

"Yeah! And it's great!" She did a loop-the-loop, making the female grasshopper laugh. She followed Dot to the ant colony. Atta and Flik, who still looked bruised, both hugged her tightly. "We saw the bird grab you." The princess said. "We just had to look away."

"When we looked again, the bird and Hopper were gone." Flik added. "We thought the bird got the both of you."

"Wait, so you guys didn't throw dirt and rocks at the bird?" Kimberly asked, cocking an antenna.

"No." Atta shook her head. "We didn't even look when it grabbed you."

"And you were the only ones there?"

"The only insects that were around were you, me, Atta, and Hopper." Flik nodded.

_Then the dirt and rocks…Hopper must have been throwing them. I guess when he said he saved my life…it was more than just hiding us._

"How were you able to escape?" Atta asked.

"And what happened to your wings?" Flik asked as well. "And how did you get here? The lake's full of water."

"I escaped by twisting around and flapping my wings." Kimberly explained carefully, not telling them that Hopper was still alive. "They were pulled off. I ran and hid. And I swam here. I…I'd rather not talk about last night." She held her arms, shuddering at the memory of being nearly eaten alive.

Atta and Flik both nodded, understanding. "All that matters is that you're all right." Phyllis smiled, patting her lower shoulder. "What about Hopper though?"

"I…I don't know."

"Hm. So, he may be still alive? At least we can defend ourselves now. Even after our circus friends leave in the spring."

"That reminds me, how did the bird catch fire?" Kimberly asked.

"Er, that was my fault." P.T. said bashfully. "I saw it, and thought it was real. So, I grabbed a match, and lit the bird's tail. You guys shoulda told me it was a fake!" He turned to the circus bugs. "I coulda played along!"

"We didn't figure you'd get out." Slim shrugged.

"It kinda worked out in the end anyway." Kimberly said. "I mean, the ants now know they can stand up to, and even scare the grasshoppers."

"Speaking of which," Rosie nodded off to the side.

Kimberly's eyes widened. Tied up by spider silk was Hopper's brother, Molt. He was surrounded by the council members, and looked very nervous. "We found him hiding in the grass." Thorny frowned. "He was the only one. He was pretty cowardly too. We're still not sure what we're going to do with him."

"Please don't chop my wings off!" Molt pleaded. "I still need them! Please?!"

"At least don't cut off his wings." Kimberly agreed. "It still won't keep him grounded. Besides, compared to Hopper and Thumper, he seems pretty harmless." She snapped her fingers in an idea. "Say, he really loved the performance your guys gave," She crouched down and laid a hand across P.T.'s shoulders. "How about you make him part of the circus?"

"Ooh!" Molt exclaimed gleefully. "That sounds great! I-I-I'm pretty strong! I could be a strongbug!"

P.T. hummed in thought, squinting one eye. "Ehh, I'm always looking for an extra performer. And since he's strong, he could help with the load. Sounds like a good idea."

"Thank you! Thank you!"

"Don't thank _me_, thank…er, what was your name again?"

"Kimberly." She smiled.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Kimberly!" Molt said. "Thank you! You're such a nice grasshopper. Not to mention pretty, if I may say. No wonder Hopper took such a liking to you."

She grimaced, "Eh, not really sure if I should be flattered or disturbed."

"He rarely takes interest like that in females."

"Wowee, that makes it even better." She said dryly. _I'm gonna have a good time with him and his gang._ Her antennae perked up in remembrance. "Oh, Rosie? I need some new wings."

"Already on it, dear." She smiled, holding up two new leaf-wings. One was plain orange, and the other was red with orange splotches.

Smiling in return, Kimberly turned and exposed her wing stumps. Rosie tied them on, patting her back when she was done. Kimberly turned back around and fluttered her wings. All the ants and non-ants "ooh-ed" in awe at the orange and red blurs.

"Like I said, the orange and red go beautifully with your skin color." Manny said.

For the rest of the day, Kimberly had a ball with the ants and non-ants. Dot stuck to her side like glue, and Molt, who had been released on the condition that he didn't go anywhere without a guard, kept thanking her for his position in the circus, and enabling him to keep his wings.

Manny and Gypsy continued to give her "lessons" on poise, performance, and singing. Upon her request, Manny even performed his transformation trick. Gypsy got into the box, and the other insects watched as the mantis waved his arms dramatically, as he did the night before.

As he promised, Hopper had been watching from the grass. He had seen Molt tied up, pleading for his wings to not be cut off. Half of him wanted to go out and protect his younger brother; no matter how much he annoyed him, Molt was still the only family he had. That was another reason, albeit hidden, why Hopper kept him in the gang.

He also saw Kimberly get her new wings. He had to agree with the mantis that the orange and red blurs the leaf-wings made were beautiful against Kimberly's yellowish skin. Her sparkling hazel eyes added to the effect.

He watched as the transformation trick from last night was being performed. He had seen Kimberly climb into the box before the rhino beetle pushed it out from behind the circus wagon and into full-view of the audience. _That explains the queen "transforming" into the moth._ Hopper mused, watching. He was behind the audience, and could see the full performance. _But that doesn't explain how the queen disappeared from the box._ Before he could think further, the mantis finally said loudly, "And now, insectus…transformitus!"

Kimberly shot out of the box, and turned in midair, flapping her wings to stay airborne. The insects applauded as she slowly fluttered her eyes, smiling, as she floated gently to the ground, vocalizing softly.

POP! Hopper jumped at the sound. _What the heck was that?!_ Looking over his shoulder, he saw his hardened wings had popped up on their own.

Groaning in annoyance, making sure he wasn't too loud, he relaxed his wings against his back, watching as Kimberly took the hand of the mantis as they bowed to the audience. Hopper knew Kimberly could see him—he was fairly easy to see, despite the grass beginning to brown, and when you see something that was hidden before, you can't un-see it—but he hoped she didn't see his wings pop up at her performance. As soon as her hazel eyes fluttered open, and she smiled and vocalized beautifully, it was as if his wings had a mind of their own.

They twitched at the memory, threatening to move on their own accord again. This time, though, he managed to control them. _Hopefully I won't get caught off guard again._

* * *

Soon, the afternoon passed. The sun was beginning to move down in the west. Kimberly was laughing as Tuck and Roll entertained her, Dot and her Blueberry Scout friends, Flik, and Atta with their gibberish and dances, as well as Hopper's antenna. "Hopper must've looked funny with only one antenna." One of the girl ants giggled.

"I know _I'd_ look pretty weird with only one antenna." Kimberly remarked, twitching her antennae, making the girls laugh. Her laughter faded away as she caught sight of said grasshopper in the grass. She didn't know how no one else saw him, but she was glad.

Seeing him reminded her that her time with the ants was up. Sighing, she whispered to Atta, "Can you call all of the insects over? I need to say something to everyone."

"Sure." Atta nodded, standing. Taking her megaphone from Flik, she yelled into it, "Attention all insects! Ms. Kimberly would like to say something!"

All of the insects gathered around the female grasshopper. "Thanks, your highness," She nodded, taking the megaphone. She spoke into it, "Firstly, I just want to say how grateful I am no one was seriously hurt last night. A great moment in ant history was made. Not only did one ant stand up to a feared grasshopper, but the entire colony chased them away. When Hopper told you that other insects would take advantage of you, back in summer, you proved him wrong!"

The ants all cheered. "There's something else though. I…" She swallowed nervously, catching sight of Hopper again. He wasn't grinning in any form. His face was somewhat neutral. He nodded once, silently urging her to continue. Taking a deep breath, Kimberly finally said, "I'm sorry…but I…I'm leaving."

Everyone gasped in shock. "What?" Dot whimpered.

"I'm sorry. I love you all…but I can't stay here."

"Is this about before the grasshoppers came?" Atta asked. "Beca-"

"It's nothing like that," Kimberly shook her head, turning away from the megaphone. No one would have heard anyway; they were all chattering among themselves. "It's just…it's for your own good."

Atta cocked her head in confusion. "Well, I did say if you were to leave after the grasshoppers left, we would understand." Phyllis said gravely. "I hope you'll find happiness somewhere else."

"Thank you." She spoke again in the megaphone over the still-chattering insects, "Thank you all for everything. I'll never forget any of you, or my time here. Again, thank you…and goodbye." She gave Atta back the megaphone and began walking solemnly towards the grass where Hopper disappeared. The ants parted, letting her go by. They weren't sad, but they weren't happy either.

She paused at something grabbing her leg. Looking down, she saw Dot hugging her by the leg. "You _will_ visit…won't you?" She asked as tears began to roll down her face.

Kimberly struggled not to cry. "I…I can't make any promises." She gently pushed the princess off of her leg and continued on. As Dot began to yell after her, crying, she quickened her pace, soon running into and through the grass. She no longer held back her tears. When she tripped and fell, she didn't get up. She lay in the dirt, sobbing.

After a few minutes, she looked up to see Hopper bent on one knee, with his arm over his bent knee, and was looking down at her. His expression was nearly unreadable, but she could have sworn she saw pity. "You're still going through with this?" He asked, referring to the deal.

"It's to keep them safe." She said, standing to her feet. Hopper copied her. "It doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Well, follow me then." Crouching down, Hopper took off into the sky. Kimberly followed behind, glancing back at the island until even the huge tree disappeared. Her still-falling tears flew off of her face and dried as she looked ahead, chanting over and over in her head, _It will keep my friends safe. It will keep my friends safe. It will keep my friends safe._

* * *

**A/N How many of you were't expecting Kimberly to make that bargain? She's the kind of person who'll put others before herself. Even though the ants can stand up to the grasshoppers, a grasshopper (in the film) is over two times an ant's size. They could squash an ant without a second thought, and do some damage. Hopper had threatened to kill the queen, and nearly succeeded in not only crushing Flik's head, but also strangling him to death.**

**That's why Kimberly agreed to join Hopper's gang in order to keep him away from the ants. The other grasshoppers won't have a problem, since they were about more scared of the ant stamped than they were of the bird. When the fake bird was flying around, while some grasshoppers DID fly away, some just ran away and ducked down. But when the ants charged, the grasshoppers were flying off of the island like there was no tomorrow. Hopper, on the other hand, isn't as scared. Sure, it was kinda implied that he sort of fears and respects the ants (he knew that one ant was all it took to start a rebellion, and he was right) but he didn't run when the ants charged. He barely flinched, in fact.**

**So, since he wanted Kimberly to join his gang in the past, she took advantage of that in order to make sure he never steps foot on Ant Island again, and never hurts another ant, period; even non-Ant Island ones. Even if she has to be miserable, if her friends are safe, she's happy about that (even though she sounds and acts like Belle from Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_ in this scenario, it wasn't on my mind when fleshing out her character)**

**At least she gets one last day with her friends and surrogate family. I wasn't sure whether to add Molt or not, but since he appears in the epilogue, which takes place in spring (since it was autumn when the grasshoppers were chased away, that means the movie probably time-jumped at least six months or so ahead) and he couldn't have hidden for that long of time, I figured he was found and tied up pretty quick. Otherwise, there was nothing stopping him from eventually leaving the island himself. And I doubt he came back to the island to join the circus, especially since he had joined them before they even left.**

**Okay, Hopper's wings "having a mind of their own" was an idea I thought was funny for a while XD I was a bit iffy about putting it in, but Pixar did almost the same thing in Toy Story 2, where when Jessie did that trick on the car and the loop-the-loop (which Buzz did in the first Toy Story) Buzz's wings popped up, and he barely noticed (save for in the bloopers XD)**

**And of course, Kimmy's leaving is heartbreaking. I think it's especially hard for her because not only is she leaving her home and best friends, but she's not telling the full truth. She's doing both that, and leaving, for their own protection. The story isn't over yet though ;)**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**The Queen of Water: Thanks :) Well, she's not gonna have so much fun, since she dislikes him so much.**

**TheBeldam27: There's a heck of a lot more in store for this story ;)**

**darthcat: Kimberly feels the same way. Hey, maybe; you never know ;D**

**Unknown: I'll definitely put in the bloopers after the story ends; I'll add Kimmy in some, and even write my own. I'm not gonna say whether she'll return to Ant Island or not, as I don't want to spoil the story. As for a sequel, I try not to think about writing a sequel for the story I'm writing when I'm writing it, especially if it's in the middle of the story.**

* * *

It took a day and a half for Hopper and Kimberly to fly into the desert region and to the Mosquito Desert Resort. It would have taken only a day, but with her leaf wings, Kimberly couldn't fly as fast or for as long as she could with real wings. So, they sometimes had to take breaks, and Hopper often flew so fast and far that he had to wait for Kimberly to catch up. He was surprisingly patient, only rolling his eyes when he saw she was left behind, and scowling at the frequent breaks they had to take. "Leaves aren't exact copies of wings." She had said. "And I haven't flown for months, so I'm not going to be the best or fastest flier in the world."

He only grunted in reply, though he silently agreed with her logic.

When they arrived at the resort, nothing looked out of the ordinary. The mosquitoes were still serving the grasshoppers, who sang, danced, and chatted like usual.

Kimberly cocked an antenna curiously. Hopper had mentioned the Mosquito Desert Resort, and that it was a sombrero that housed a family of mosquitoes who "willingly" served and tended to the grasshoppers almost every summer. "We went there once when we had a cold spell, at home, in the summer," He had said. "And the gang and I liked it so much, we decided to go every summer. Sort of like a vacation, I suppose."

Kimberly had scowled at the way he said "willingly," but decided not to comment on it. Even if she said something, he probably wouldn't listen anyway.

Crossing all four of his arms, Hopper cleared his throat loudly. This attracted the grasshoppers' attention. At first, they looked ecstatic to see their boss alive and well, despite missing almost a whole antenna. Then, remembering how they ran away from Ant Island in cowardice, their happy faces turned fearful. "Yeah, you _better_ be scared." He said, smirking slightly, knowing he still had his grasshoppers under his thumb. "However, I'm in a considerably good mood. Why? Ms. Kimberly," He took her hand and pulled her deeper into the sombrero, ignoring her slight scowl. "Has decided to join us. In return, we've been banished from Ant Island, and can't touch any and all ants."

The other grasshoppers glanced and muttered among themselves, grinning slightly at the thought of a female in their group. Hopper cleared his throat again, ignoring Kimberly snatching her hand away. "The rules still stand: you all stay away from Kimberly; don't talk to her, touch her, or even look at her!"

Kimberly rolled her eyes heavily, shaking her head. "Rules, indeed." She muttered.

Hopper raised an eyebrow at her, but before he could say anything, there was a growling sound. The grasshoppers parted, revealing Thumper. He glowered at Kimberly, evidently remembering her. She growled back at the scrawny grasshopper, pupils shrinking to half their normal size.

Thumper attacked her, making Hopper jump back. He watched as the two grasshoppers scuffled, growling, scratching, and biting at each other. In both fights the grasshoppers had, he had never let them finish by themselves, and he was curious to see which one would fall first.

After several minutes of fighting, they jumped apart, still growling. Thumper stood on all six limbs, and Kimberly stood on her two feet. She glared at the still-snarling, scrawny grasshopper. Then, startling everyone, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "_Sit!_"

Blinking in surprise at the loud command, Thumper fell on his haunches. Save for heavy breaths, he remained silent.

Kimberly nodded once, relaxing. Her eyes turned back to normal as she glanced around at the grasshoppers. They all stared at her in astonishment. "Wow…" One muttered. "Thumper _never_ listens to anyone, save for the boss!"

"If I can handle Mr. Rabies, maybe I can handle living in your gang without your 'rules'." She sniffed at Hopper, crossing her arms.

"I make rules for a reason." He said. "Specifically rules concerning you. It's not out of concern. These grasshoppers haven't been with a female for a long time, so they could be dangerous."

"With that logic, I should be scared of _you_ too."

"Aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"If Thumper's the worst of the grasshopper here, I have no reason to fear you."

Hopper merely furrowed his eyebrows. He looked up at the other grasshoppers, pointed at his own eyes with two fingers on one of his top hands, and pointed them at his gang, cocking an eyebrow. He walked through the group as they gave him a wide berth, and flew up into the bent-over crown of the sombrero.

The grasshoppers turned to Kimberly as she looked around the resort curiously. She began walking around, pausing and turning to see the other grasshoppers still staring at her. Their stares were mixtures of fear and curiosity.

Smirking, she turned away, taking a step before turning abruptly, growling loudly. They all, save for Thumper, gasped in fright and jumped back. Kimberly laughed at the grasshoppers' antics before continuing her exploring. She glanced up at where Hopper went, making a note to never go up there, since that was probably where his living quarters were. She sat at the bar, still looking around. She narrowed her eyes when she found Thumper sitting two seats away, staring at her with almost the same scowl. "What do _you_ want?"

Thumper shook his head, snorting. Under the hatred, Kimberly could see a hint of respect. "No other grasshopper's survived a fight with you, huh?" She asked.

He shook his head again, smiling smugly. "I guess it helps that I fight back, and fight back good." _Why am I even talking with an almost-animalistic grasshopper? Well, he _is_ able to talk, to some degree. He's obviously intelligent, save for having the mind of a rabid animal._

"What may I get for you, _Señorita_?" A mosquito asked, a little nervous.

She pursed her lips briefly before asking, "Do you have any water, or at least any kind of drink? I'm kind of thirsty."

"_Sí_." The mosquito nodded, pushing a cactus needle up and letting a dewdrop of liquid collect in his hand before pushing it back down. He placed it on the table and slid it to the yellowish grasshopper.

She picked up the dewdrop and took a sip. It tasted sweet, reminding her of a watermelon she once had the luck of trying. She smiled, "It's wonderful!"

The mosquito sighed in relief. "Cactus juice is more than a delicacy. In the desert, it is a life-saver."

"I can understand that." She nodded, drinking more of the juice. "If I may, how come you're so…" She searched for the right word.

"Tense?" She nodded. "You see, _mi familia y yo_ are forced to serve the grasshoppers when they visit every summer. We've grown quite accustomed to them, though are still wary of the scrawny grasshopper, and _Tuerto_."

"Beg pardon?"

The mosquito actually cracked a smile, apparently appreciating her politeness. "_Tuerto _means 'one-eye' in Spanish."

"Ah, so you mean Hopper?" She chuckled inwardly, making a mental note to remember that nickname.

"_Sí._ How were you, such a fine and polite lady, dragged into this gang?"

Kimberly explained how she lived with the ants for several months, and agreed to join Hopper's gang to protect them. "Even if I don't like it, at least they're safe from Hopper." She said, finishing her drink.

"You're a brave soul." The mosquito sighed.

She smiled modestly, though it faltered when she saw two grasshoppers approach her. One was a bit short, had several small spots on his face and body, and half of his left antenna was gone. The other was taller than his friend, with a long face, and short antennae. They stared at Kimberly, looking nervous.

Kimberly raised an eyebrow. "…Can I help you boys?"

"We, uh, we just wanted to introduce ourselves." The taller grasshopper said.

"But Hopper sa-"

"I don't give a louse's ass to what Hopper said." Kimberly rolled her eyes. "I don't care if he's 'looking out for me,' I'm a big girl. If I can handle Thumper," She nodded at the mentioned grasshopper. "I think I can handle other grasshoppers. I'm sure you two are harmless?"

"Sure," The shorter grasshopper nodded. "We may not have had females in the gang in…ever. But we wouldn't hurt them. Right, Loco?"

"Sure." Loco agreed.

"Well, then, what Hopper doesn't know won't hurt _him_." Kimberly winked. "And unless you hurt me, I won't tell him anything."

Both grasshoppers relaxed at this. "All right, then," Loco nodded. "Like you probably heard, I'm Loco. This is Axel," He nodded at the freckled grasshopper. He turned and yelled, "Bart! C'mere!"

Another grasshopper walked up. "And this, Ms. Kimberly, is Bartolomew." Axel said. "He's called Bart for short. Over by the music players are the twins, Luigi and Mario. Then, over there's Stefano, and Osvaldo, the one with the hat." He rolled his eyes.

Kimberly scowled, recognizing the "hat" as Dot's bandanna. "And then that's Carlo and Edoardo." Loco added, nodding at the two grasshoppers, who Kimberly recognized as being the ones who first found her when she ran from the anthill on Ant Island after Hopper took over. Carlo grinned in her direction, while Edoardo shrugged apologetically.

When the three grasshoppers with her began to say more names, she held up a hand. "Hold it, boys," She said. "I can't remember all those names."

"Ah, you'll get 'em memorized." Axel waved a hand.

"How does Hopper keep track of them? Or does he bother?"

Axel, Loco, and Bart flinched at the name. "He memorizes them," Bart nodded. "He's, eh, he's smart."

"Yeah, smarter than Molt." Axel chuckled.

"That reminds me, where _is_ that dolt?" Loco asked. "He didn't come with us to the resort."

"He was captured by the ants." Kimberly answered. "He, uh," She chuckled, thinking she sounded silly. "He joined the circus that performed for you guys."

The three other grasshoppers laughed, though not disbelievingly at what Kimberly said, but at the thought of Molt joining the circus. "Seems like a perfect place for him." Bart said.

* * *

**A/N This chapter was kinda uneventful at the end. I'm starting to think writer's block is settling in.**

**Since Kimberly's wings aren't real, and she hadn't flown for almost six months straight, she's not gonna be the best flier in the world. I don't know how far away the desert is from Ant Island, much less the sombrero, but since it was implied the grasshoppers left for the island on the same day the bird was finished, and it was the next morning that they arrived, I'm gonna say the island and sombrero are a day's distance apart.**

**I'm still trying to pinpoint the reason for the grasshoppers going to the sombrero every summer, as the directors said they did in the Director's Commentary in the ABL DVD. Since they said that, it would imply the grasshoppers had a home they spent the rest of the year at. So, is the sombrero resort something like a vacation? Maybe I'm reading too much into it (I tend to do that)**

**One of my favorite parts of this chapter was when Kimberly finally beat Thumper in a fight, yelled "SIT!" and he sat down. That seems to happen quite a bit; there's a dog/other kind of animal that seems to listen to no one or only one person, and someone else (mostly a girl) yells, at the top of their lungs, for them to sit, and they do it almost immediately. Thumper only did so because he's got a bit of respect for Kimberly, since she's the only one who's won a fight against him, and isn't scared of him. Fun fact: Thumper's pants and growls are composed of sounds from chimps. That tidbit can be heard from the Director's Commentary in the ABL DVD; I think I mentioned you can learn fascinating things from the commentary of a DVD.**

**The mosquitoes seem indifferent about the grasshoppers, some (being the ones used for darts) were obviously afraid of them, but others (like the ones playing the music instruments) seemed to be just fine. I honestly don't know how I feel about them being forced to serve the grasshoppers, since I hate mosquitoes; they spread nasty diseases like malaria. So, keeping them under his thumb, Hopper's essentially preventing malaria spread in the summer :3**

**I'm not sure if cactus juice really tastes like watermelon. I just heard it from somewhere, so that's what I'm going with.**

**I was curious as to how many grasshoppers were approximately in Hopper's gang (I say approximately since all gangs in movies/TV series seem to grow and shrink in numbers in different scenes) So, I looked at a screencap of the grasshoppers after Hopper talked about going back to the island, and asked if they wanted to stay, and counted all of them, save for Thumper (yes, he was in the crowd) I counted 18; adding Molt, Hopper, Thumper, and the three grasshoppers that had been crushed by the grain, and you got 24 grasshoppers...sheesh. How DOES Hopper keep track of 23 grasshoppers? Sure, there's Thumper and Molt, who are easy to remember. But that still leaves 21.**

**I looked up Italian names for the grasshoppers. I actually named all 19 unnamed grasshoppers, though I won't put them ALL into the story. I just mentioned some that WILL stay in the story; these are the third grasshopper to get crushed by the grain, those two grasshoppers singing in front of the performing mosquitoes, the grasshoppers who found Dot's bandanna, and the two grasshoppers who first found Kimberly running from the anthill back in Ch. 14.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**The Queen of Water: Thanks.**

**VoiceUnheard98: Thank you. We'll see ;) That actually sounds interesting. I'll have to see if I can work around with that :)**

**TheBeldam27: Oh, it's gonna go far ;D**

**I WILL touch on her family story later on (I have a bit of a nice surprise for that ;D) Geez, apples? Those are huge grasshoppers! But that actually sounds pretty cool :D If I don't do that in this story, I'll definitely have to do a little sidestory on that subject; it's always fun giving girls protective dads, especially when their potential love interest is a villain in the franchise they're in (even though Hopper's big, it'd be pretty funny to imagine him face-to-face with an even bigger grasshopper XD)**

* * *

Axel and Loco told Kimberly the rest of the grasshoppers' names: Alonzo, Doriano, Francesco, Giovanni, Isaia, Jacopo, Nico, Pasquale, Raul, Taddeo, Ugo, and Vito. They told her there were twenty-four grasshoppers total in the gang. "Though, with Molt joining the circus, there are only twenty-three." Loco said.

"But now that Ms. Kimberly's here, we're back to twenty-four." Axel pointed out.

Kimberly was starting to feel a bit more at ease around the grasshoppers. When they weren't hurting or bullying the ants, they were surprisingly fun to be with…well, most of them. Every now and then, she scowled at the ceiling where Hopper disappeared.

"What's with the faces?" Loco asked.

"I despise Hopper." She answered bluntly.

"Why?"

Kimberly raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think? He's rude, arrogant, a bully, a brute, and a bastard!" She smirked slightly at Axel and Loco's wide eyes. "Yeah, I called Hopper a bastard!" She ignored the grasshoppers shaking their heads and pointing behind her. "That's what he is! He's a nasty insect. He's a horrible, rotten, brutish bastard!"

She jumped at someone clearing their throat behind her. Looking back, her face paled at seeing Hopper standing behind her, frowning. "…'Brute' seems to be one of your favorite words, hmm?" He asked rhetorically. "Though I've never heard a lady curse that badly before."

Kimberly swallowed nervously, but scowled, "You wouldn't dare hurt a lady."

"You're right. I may be a 'horrible, rotten, brutish bastard,' that much I'll admit. But I'm a gentlebug as well, no matter what you think." He let a slight smirk appear before leaving the bar.

"'Gentlebug,' my ass." Kimberly muttered, shaking her head.

"Talking that way to and about Hopper's suicide!" Axel exclaimed.

"No offense to you two, but I'm not gonna let Hopper scare me into submission." Kimberly sniffed, sipping more cactus juice. "Besides, with the threat of me leaving if he hurts any and all ants, and/or puts even one toe on Ant Island, I'm practically invincible."

"While that is true, _Señorita_, if you continue to act that way towards him, you may get hurt." The mosquito at the bar said. "You may want to leave even when he doesn't hurt any ants, because he could hurt _you_, whether physically or not."

She shrugged, "A-as long as the ants are o-"

"You're kind and brave, but very foolish as well." The older insect frowned. "I only hope Hopper has a bit of mercy for you. I'd hate to see anything happen to someone like you."

Kimberly laid her top elbow on the bar, and leaned her jaw in her hand. Her antennae drooped solemnly as she sighed. The mosquito was right; she was acting stupid and foolish. There were times when her brain asked if she would really sacrifice her freedom in order to protect insects that never even liked her. And then she would be reminded of the ants that did like her: Phyllis, Atta, Flik, and Dot; especially Dot. If anything, she was doing it for those four ants.

Glancing at his friend, Axel confessed, "Um, earlier, we were kinda scared of you."

"Scared of me?" Kimberly asked in confusion. "Why were you scared of me?"

"We saw how you…basically, turned into a female Thumper." Loco explained, making the mentioned grasshoppers snort in amusement. "And you even held your own against him. Plus…Hopper told us to stay away from you."

"Well, he saw me with you guys, and he didn't complain, did he?" She smiled slightly when the males shook their heads. "Like I said, I can handle myself. And I can control my Insane Mode." She laughed as she explained, "That's what I call it when I get snarly and nasty. It usually only happens when I'm really angry, or threatened by something that could seriously hurt me; like Thumper, for instance. It's my survival mode, I suppose. But, like I said, I can control it." _Especially since I've gone into Insane Mode quite a few times in the last four days…though I've only gone completely insane once so far._

Later, Kimberly watched as two grasshoppers threw mosquitoes, like darts, onto a target made out of shadows. She frowned slightly at the mean-spirited treatment, despite seeing that the mosquitoes weren't seriously hurt. One grasshopper, who she recognized as Carlo, looked over to her and grinned, "Hey, toots, wanna try?"

She curled her lip at the nickname. _No worse than "darling" I suppose._ "Only if I can not use live insects as darts." She looked around, ignoring the grasshopper's eye roll, and found some loose cactus needles lying on the ground. She gathered them in one hand and stood by Carlo as the mosquitoes pulled their noses out of the cactus. She held a cactus needle in one hand and tossed it at the target. It hit the outside shadow ring.

Pursing her lips slightly, she tried again and again, aiming for deeper rings, until she was on her last cactus needle. Most of them either hit the outer rings, or missed the target completely. "Sheesh, I suck at darts." She remarked, tossing the needle in her hand.

"That's 'cause you're not throwing them right." Carlo stood behind her. "Right foot a bit forward, and when you hold up the dart, lean forward a bit."

Kimberly did as the grasshopper said. She flinched when she felt him lightly grip her lower arms, pull back her throwing hand, which still had the remaining cactus needle, and run his fingers down her free arm. She pulled away from him, scowling, "Hands off, buddy." She then grinned mischievously. "Hopper's still down here, and I don't think he'll appreciate you being too 'friendly' with me."

Carlo blanched, but said, "I thought you said you can take care of yourself without Hopper's 'rules'."

"I can, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you guys do whatever you want with me, just because I'm a female. So, hands off, or I'll talk to Hopper about the rules-"

"All right, all right." Carlo backed away. "'Sides, I was adjusting your stance. No biggie."

"Sure." She rolled her eyes. She looked back at the target. Sticking her tongue out, she aimed the needle, moving her hand back and forth. Finally, she clenched her eyes shut and threw. Upon hearing the other grasshoppers' exclaims in astonishment, she slowly cracked one eye open, and gasped upon seeing the cactus needle in the middle of the target.

"Eeh!" She squealed, jumping and clapping in delight. "I got a bullseye!"

The other grasshoppers laughed and clapped for her.

Hopper had seen Kimberly talking with Axel and Loco, especially after she called him those nasty names. And he had seen after it was pointed out that she would rather be unhappy than see the ants harmed, she leaned on the bar, looking depressed. Seeing her sad brought about strange emotions from the one-eyed grasshopper. His brain told him to go up and cheer her up. _Cheer her up? How the hell do I do that? I'm the last person to cheer her up anyway._

His job was already done when Axel and Loco mentioned her going feral. She had laughed, calling it her Insane Mode, and said she could control it.

The two grasshoppers were still on Hopper's blacklist for trying to get the others to go against his orders, and stay at the resort. He didn't really care whether they had survived the avalanche of grain or not, and so was indifferent when they, and Bart, came to the island a couple of hours later, still looking a bit shaken up. But he knew they wouldn't hurt Kimberly, so he figured he could trust them with her a tiny bit.

When she stood up to explore some more, he sat at the bar, snickering when Axel and Loco excused themselves, paling slightly. Thumper sat down near him, cleaning his antennae. Hopper heard Carlo invite Kimberly to play darts, and scowled at him calling her "toots." He smirked at Kimberly's reaction though. _Apparently, she doesn't like nicknames outside of her given name._

But it was when Carlo began getting too "touchy" that Hopper started to get angry. His hand on the bar clenched into a fist, and his dead eye began to twitch. He had told all of the grasshoppers not to touch Kimberly, and even if she didn't appreciate his rules, they still stood. _It's out of possessiveness, being in command, and a bit of concern._ He told himself.

"Hands off, buddy." Kimberly snapped to Carlo, standing away from him. She then grinned mischievously. "Hopper's still down here, and I don't think he'll appreciate you being too 'friendly' with me."

Hopper smirked upon hearing that. It grew when Carlo, who had paled visibly, pointed out that she said she could take care of herself, and she retorted, "I can, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you guys do whatever you want with me, just because I'm a female. So, hands off, or I'll talk to Hopper about the rules-"

"All right, all right." Carlo finally backed away. "'Sides, I was adjusting your stance. No biggie."

_Sure you were._ Hopper rolled his eyes. He turned to the mosquito at the bar, raising an eyebrow at the other insect's expression. "What?"

"You seem interested in that female grasshopper, at the moment." The mosquito said, gathering a cactus juice dewdrop and setting it on the bar. "Not just because she's a female, but maybe for protection."

Hopper scowled, snatching up the dewdrop. "Nothing like that. I know she's a female, and I'm not protecting her."

"Then why tell the other grasshoppers to stay away from her, and to not harm her?"

Hopper took a sip of the juice before staring at the mosquito with a blank expression. "How about you keep your nose out of other insects' business for a change?"

The mosquito shrugged before turning away. "And to answer your question, I'm showing the grasshoppers I'm in command. And Ki-she is mine."

"Not yet." The mosquito pointed out. "She made it very clear that she does not like you. If you were to have a chance with her, you'd need to change that attitude of yours."

"Who're you, my father?" He gulped down the rest of his drink. "Like I said, keep your nose out of my business."

"Eeh!" Kimberly exclaimed, getting Hopper's attention. She was bouncing on her toes, clapping both pairs of hands. "I got a bullseye!"

The other grasshoppers laughed and applauded for her. Even Hopper let a slight smile and chuckle break through. Kimberly seemed to get quite excited about little things. Her wide smile, excited giggle, and shining eyes all looked, dare he think it, cute.

_Cute? You're not going soft, are you?_

"Hell no." He grumbled to himself, smile disappearing. "I'm not going soft at all." He looked around at the bar, somehow finally noticing it wasn't covered in grain. "I see the grain was all cleaned up."

"_Sí_, no thanks to _you_." The mosquito dared to give a small scowl. "It took us two days to clean it up and get it all back in the bottle."

"Well, excuse _me_ for making a point to my grasshoppers." Hopper scoffed. "That reminds me," He stood up and whistled loudly. The other grasshoppers jumped, startled, but gathered around the one-eyed grasshopper. Kimberly stood in the outskirts of the group, crossing her arms with a slight frown. "As you all know, Ms. Kimberly has agreed to join our gang. In return, we are to never return to Ant Island, and to not hurt any and all ants, as well as stay away from them."

The grasshoppers glanced among themselves, chattering. They didn't complain about not going back to Ant Island, or messing with other ants. They had no intentions on going back, and they were now nervous about the ants, since they were brave enough to stand up to them, despite them being scared of the grasshoppers in the past.

Kimberly rubbed her top upper arms, sighing sadly. Some grasshoppers glanced at her oddly. She knew they were wondering why she was sad at the idea of not going back to Ant Island.

Hopper cleared his throat, getting their attention again. "Also, I've been thinking lately of changing the time period of when we come here to the resort. It would only be natural that we come here during the winter, seeing as it's still warm here, while at the tree, it's cold and snowy. But we'll stay here for a few more days, probably three at least, before heading back home. It'll be the last time we're at home during winter, so try to enjoy it while it lasts." He chuckled as he sat down, smirking at the flabbergasted mosquito, who also happened to be the head of the mosquito family.

"Hopper _did_ mention you, and I suppose 'we' now, had another home." Kimberly said.

"Yeah," Osvaldo nodded, adjusting his "hat". "It's in a great big tree by a field. It's actually a really cool-lookin' place. You'll love it!"

"Why do you still have that thing?" Stefano frowned. "You look like an idiot."

"Well, maybe it'll kinda shelter me from the snow." Osvaldo shrugged.

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Snowflakes are bigger than us. How's one little _bandanna_, worn as a hat, gonna shelter you from something bigger than you?"

"He's not the brightest." Stefano muttered to her. "Just let him think that little leaf can shelter him."

* * *

**A/N I've still got a bit of writer's block; strangely enough, it's mostly for ending chapters. That's another toughie for writing: knowing how to end a chapter.**

**The names mentioned are the other grasshoppers. If I didn't say before, I looked at male Italian names in Behind the Name (it's a nice website to look up names) I think the only grasshoppers, in the gang, who are really gonna be in the story are Axel, Loco, Bart, Carlo, Edoardo, Luigi, Mario, Osvaldo, and Stefano. For sure, Axel, Loco, and Carlo at least. As for the others, I'm not quite sure. Thumper's definitely gonna be in the story. He's starting to grow on me :3**

**Kimberly's not really one to really swear a lot. Little words, like "hell" and "ass" are mild. "Bastard," however, is a definite swearword. I figured since Hopper kinda ruined her life, she wouldn't really worry about keeping her tongue around him, in terms of swear words.**

**I'm trying to get a sense of what personalities the aforementioned members of the Grasshopper Gang (they need a cool name for their gang; something cooler than "Grasshopper Gang." Anyone got any ideas? It needs to be cool AND badass, for Hopper's sake XD) Carlo, for example, is turning into a womanizer in grasshopper form, and Osvaldo isn't the brightest bulb (he's the one who thought Dot's bandanna was a hat; I just had to have him still have it XD) Some filler chapters may involve further developing the grasshoppers.**

**Thinking now, it makes more sense for the grasshoppers to fly to the desert in the winter. Despite the colder weather back at their home (it's not canon that they live in a tree, that's MY headcanon) it'll still be warm in the desert, just cold at night, though it's probably a bit warmer in the sombrero. In a few chapters, they'll go back home. I'm kinda excited to show you guys what I've decided for the tree they live in. It's gonna be pretty interesting ;)**

**I'm also trying to further develop Hopper, and give him emotions he didn't have in the film, but not make him too OOC. In my opinion, a bit of OOCness for a canon character is fine as long as it doesn't go overboard, and you develop the character into a bit of OOCness, rather than throw them right into it. It's an extra plus if they have leftover qualities of their previous personality, or their original personality is a bit tweaked...I should write a book about that XD**

**But back to Hopper. We don't really know what would happen if there was a female grasshopper in the film. I think it's safe to say we'd know how to other grasshoppers would react. Thumper, he'd be pretty indifferent. I kinda have a headcanon that he has a more animalistic personality than human, since most of the insects have a humanistic personality. Molt, I'd imagine, would just be a friendly guy who'd just be happy making friends. On the other hand, we don't really know how Hopper would react. He's a complicated guy. Sure, he'd be as happy as the other grasshoppers that there's a female of the same species, but I figured he'd have more "control," so to speak, and be a bit charming as well. Plus, he's already kinda in love with Kimberly; basically, I'm trying to give him more personality (without totally making him OOC) and make him fall in love (for real) realistically, if that makes sense.**

**Since this Author's Note's already really long (sorry for the long A/N) I'm just gonna end it here. Hopefully, this'll continue to get more interesting.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**Dark Maiden95: As a warning, this may end up being one of those stories. But I'm glad you like it so far :)**

**VoiceUnheard98: Thanks :D And you're welcome.**

**The Queen of Water: Thanks.**

**hellgirl-fan1: Not really, just not the smartest when it comes to hats and precipitation.**

* * *

That night, all of the grasshoppers settled down to go to sleep. All of them, save for Hopper, were on the ground huddled up near the walls of the sombrero. Despite the cold of the night, Kimberly stayed away from the huddles. Despite the grasshoppers proving that they were friendly when they weren't around the ants, she was still antagonistic against them for their cruel natures towards said ants.

Hopper had talked it over with the head of the mosquito family, and they came to an agreement that the grasshoppers would come to the Mosquito Desert Resort in the winter instead of the summer. This would be their last summer at the resort.

Kimberly curled up against the wall of the sombrero, holding her knees to her chest. Half of her mind told her to at least lay near a huddle of grasshoppers for warmth. But the other half of her mind remained stubborn, telling her to stay away from them. Especially Carlo and Hopper, even though the latter was somewhere else.

It took a while, but Kimberly finally drifted off to sleep…

**Kimberly found herself back at Ant Island. She was walking towards the grass, past the blurred ants, paused, and saw Dot hugging her leg. "You **_**will**_** visit…won't you?" She asked as tears began to roll down her face.**

**Kimberly struggled not to cry, not only at the idea of leaving and never returning, but from seeing and experiencing the scene again. "I…I can't make any promises." She pushed Dot off of her leg and continued to walk into the grass.**

"**Kimmy! Come back!" Dot cried after the yellowish grasshopper, making her quicken her pace. "Don't leave! Come back! Please come back! Don't leave us!" She heard the young princess sobbing behind her.**

**Kimberly ran as hard and for as long as she could, tears running down her thin face. She tripped and fell, but didn't get up. She lay in the dirt, continuing to cry.**

**She froze at a noise. **_**I…didn't hear that last time.**_** Rubbing her eyes free of the tears, she looked up. Instead of Hopper, she saw the dried-up snakeskin Dot had found back in the summer. To her horror, it began to thicken and lengthen until it looked like a dried-up snake. It reared its ugly head, stared at her with empty eyes, and opened its mouth in a loud hiss. Clear insect blood dripped off of its fangs.**

**Screaming, Kimberly jumped to her feet and ran away. She could feel the rumbles in the ground as the snake slithered after her. It snapped at her heels, making her jump and squeal in fright. She was so scared that she didn't think to fly away.**

**Suddenly, she felt herself lifted up off of the ground. Looking over her shoulder, she nearly fainted when she saw an orange and red bird holding her by her leaf wings again. Kimberly screamed, twisting her body and flapping her wings frantically. But this time, the binds refused to let her wing stumps go, and she couldn't escape. "No! No! No, no, no!"**

**The bird took off as Kimberly continued to scream and shout for help. The bird hovered over a nest with three fluffy, yellow baby birds. The jumped and opened their mouths wide, eager for a meal of grasshopper. "Ohh, **_**no**_**!" Kimberly's eyes bugged out in horror. "Oh, oh no! No, no, no!" She curled up in a fetal position as the bird slowly lowered her down to one chick. She gave one last scream as her vision darkened…**

Kimberly sat up straight with a gasp, eyes widening. She sat in a cold sweat, panting heavily, as she looked around. She glanced at herself, sighing with relief when she saw she was still alive. She was still at the sombrero, but that was better than in the stomach of a snake or baby bird.

She slumped back against the wall, trying to calm her nerves. Being chased by the snake, caught by the bird, and eaten by her babies was only part of the new nightmare. Another part, and a more personal one, was when she left Ant Island, leaving behind her best friends, whom she had come to think of as her family.

It was a nightmare full of bad memories and terror.

Rubbing a hand over her face, she stood up, not wanting to be on the ground. When she was upset and had a nightmare, she preferred to be above ground. She began tiptoeing towards the back of the sombrero, freezing when she saw Thumper staring at her with reddish eyes. He cocked his head slightly, making her wonder if he heard her screaming in her sleep. "I-I just had a nightmare." She whispered. "Go-go back to sleep."

Thumper snorted, but settled his head back on his folded hands and went to sleep.

Once she got to the back wall, she jumped into the bent-over crown of the sombrero. Save for a slightly-bent bullet casing, and a sleeping cockroach, there was nothing. The tip of the crown was gone, leaving a sort of large window. _Perfect._

As she took a step, she froze at the sound of soft snoring. She looked around before finding a large insect sitting on the floor of the crown, leaning back against the wall. His top hands were behind his head, and his bottom hands were folded over his stomach. Every now and then, his remaining antenna twitched at the tip.

Stepping closer, Kimberly realized it was Hopper, fast asleep and snoring.

She backed away when he snorted in his sleep, but luckily, he didn't wake up. Sighing with relief, she continued to walk to the edge of the crown. She sat down, letting her feet hang over the edge, and leaned back on her top hands, staring at the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight, the stars were out, and the moon was in a crescent-shape. She found herself smiling at the sight, and felt the anxiety and fear from her nightmare fade away.

As she began to feel sleepy again, she backed away from the edge so she didn't fall and hurt herself in her sleep. Not having the energy to go back to the ground level—nor did she want to—she curled up on the ground and fell asleep. This time, the nightmares stayed away.

* * *

For the next three days, Kimberly got a bit acquainted with some of the other grasshoppers. Axel and Loco were like two peas in a pod; just two best friends who were both equally afraid of Hopper ever since they, and Bart, were covered in an avalanche of grain.

When she heard about that incident, at first, Kimberly was angry at Hopper for nearly killing them. "It just shook us up," Axel said. "It didn't hurt…much."

"Grasshoppers have strong exoskeletons." Loco pointed out, making Kimberly shrug and nod in agreement. "'Sides, we're big, strong insects." He grinned, puffing out his chest to make himself look bigger. Axel copied him.

Kimberly rolled her eyes, though she smirked in amusement.

Mario and Luigi were twins, and seemed to enjoy singing. "Especially one song that we don't really know the lyrics to." Mario said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"The only lyrics we know are 'La cucaracha, la cucaracha,'" Luigi added. "I don't even think that's English in the first place."

"Well, sorry boys," Kimberly shrugged, smiling. "I've never heard of that song, and I only speak English."

The twins were pretty similar in personality, although Luigi had a healthier appetite, and hated losing at anything, and Mario was meeker, and believed in the paranormal. Kimberly herself didn't believe in ghosts, but listened politely when Mario told her rumors about supposed paranormal activity.

Bart was quite smart—one of the smartest grasshoppers after Hopper—and told Kimberly he was the leader in designing their home. When she asked what he meant, he only winked, saying she would see for herself soon. He also didn't believe in ghosts, and argued with Mario about paranormal activity being real, always wanting to find a logical explanation for things.

Carlo was a pure womanizer, always bragging that he could charm any female. "Heck, I'm more of a charmer than the boss!" He bragged.

"Not to _me_, you aren't." Kimberly said.

"So you think Hopper's charming?" He raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"I may hate him, but even _I'll_ admit he's more charming than you. Don't tell him I said that though."

He never did, but it was always a joke among the grasshoppers that Kimberly was the only female to not fall for Carlo's "charms." They thought it was funny, though Carlo didn't. Kimberly was indifferent. Hopper appeared not to care, but inside, he was very smug. Plus, he had overheard Kimberly saying he was more charming than Carlo, so that was also a plus.

Edoardo was generally quiet, though he would speak up if needed. Even though he denied it, he appeared shy, especially around Kimberly. She thought it was funny how when they were on Ant Island when the grasshoppers took over, and he and Carlo found her, he was menacing; now, though, since she was living with the grasshoppers, he was different. "When we're around the ants, we act different." He eventually decided when confronted with that fact. "We're more tough and scary."

"How come?"

"Because the boss demands it." He shrugged. "What ever he says goes. Besides, the ants hate us anyway. You saw what happened when they rebelled against us."

"They chased you."

"Well…they would have done _something_ to us!"

Kimberly decided to not say they managed to shove Hopper into a cannon before being forced underground by the rain.

Osvaldo wasn't the sharpest bee in the hive, but he was a generally nice guy. He still liked his "hat," even though he was told it was a bandanna. But he at least knew it wouldn't shelter him from snow and rain. "Hope he doesn't ask about hail." Kimberly remarked to Stefano, who laughed and agreed. And he showed some degree of intelligence, seeing as he had remembered Hopper's "rules" concerning Kimberly when they were looking for her on the island.

Stefano was Osvaldo's older brother, and felt inclined to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. He was a no-nonsense grasshopper when it came to keeping an eye on his younger brother, but he knew when and how to act fun. "Rumor has it Hopper and Molt used to be like us." Stefano told Kimberly. "Back before he made this gang and enslaved the ants."

Kimberly doubted that Hopper was any different from how he was now. She couldn't imagine him not being grumpy, greedy, rude, or selfish. "I don't know him too well myself, and neither do the other guys," Stefano shrugged. "But Molt always said Hopper used to be more 'fun and happy,' his words, not mine."

Kimberly still wasn't convinced though. But ever since, she would often stare at the one-eyed grasshopper, trying to imagine him as a normal person; one who was "fun and happy," as Molt had put it. When he caught her staring, she quickly turned away, blushing madly.

During the last three days of staying at the resort, Kimberly was also able to have fun. She sang with Mario and Luigi, got better at darts with Carlo and Edoardo, and even tried water-skiing. At first, she declined, seeing that the mosquitoes were the ones pulling the grasshoppers. "Ms. Kimberly, you've gotta learn that some insects gotta do manual labor." The grasshopper who was showing her how to water-ski, Francesco, said. "Remember those millipedes pulling the circus wagon? Some insects are just animalistic."

She finally relented on the day before they left, and had a fun time water-skiing. When Hopper came out to see what the screaming was about, he found Kimberly being dragged around on the lake by a mosquito, laughing with glee. "This is awesome!" She yelled. She whooped, tossing her antennae back as she laughed. "This is so much fun!"

The other grasshoppers lounging under cocktail umbrellas paid her no mind. Hopper, however, was all eyes. Seeing her laughing and smiling widely made him feel strangely good inside. Especially after the last two nights.

Hopper wasn't a light sleeper, but he wasn't a heavy one either. He had heard Kimberly screaming in her sleep, and had seen her asleep near the hole in the crown the next morning. He was no stranger to nightmares, and knew they would go away on their own in time. At the moment, while she was wide awake, Kimberly was happy and laughing, which was also a difference from her being melancholy, and angry at him.

And that, in turn, made Hopper happy.

* * *

**A/N Since Kimberly escaped by the skin of her teeth from a bird, and had to leave her surrogate family behind, she's bound to have nightmares. Even though she hasn't run into a snake in this story yet, they're still her worst fear, so it'd be logical to add one in her nightmare; especially since Dot had found that snakeskin.**

**BTW, when dream!Kimberly was yelling as she was dangled over the baby birds, she was yelling the same way Hopper was yelling in canon!A Bug's Life when HE was dangled over the baby birds. I thought'd it be real neat, cool, and clever (I'm such a geek X3) to have dream!Kimberly not only have the same "fate" as canon!Hopper, but to also scream the same things HE screamed.**

**This chapter's mostly filler, with me defining the personalities of some of the grasshoppers. For Mario and Luigi (yes, I named them after the famous video game characters) I took the video game characters' personalities and switched them, giving grasshopper!Mario VG!Luigi's personality, and vise versa.**

**Bart's character personality was inspired by The Professor from _Gilligan's Island_, which has been on evening TV lately.**

**It was kind of a plotpoint for Kimberly to like water-skiing. Since they'll be leaving the resort soon (I'm not sure if they'll go back again in this story) I managed to squeeze in Kimberly having fun on the water. When she was whooping and laughing, she reminded me of Rapunzel, from Tangled, when she was having fun on her first day out of her tower.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**Dark Maiden95: I DO plan to put a snake in this story at some point ;)  
**

**The Queen of Water: Thanks.**

**Guest: Thanks :) I'm not quite sure yet, but I'm pretty sure there'll be at least one chapter in Hopper's POV, if not a big part of a chapter.**

**June: Thanks. I don't really have a set number of chapters in mind when I write stories. I just think up the plot, sometimes coming up with it as I go along, and just write until the story's finished. Sometimes I can't even make an estimate for how many chapters a story will have.**

* * *

Despite being woken up by another nightmare the previous night, Kimberly woke up early three days after arriving at the resort. As always, she found herself near the opening in the crown, curled up on the floor. She sat up, stretched all four arms, and stood up, stretching her legs. Then, she sat on the edge of the crown, letting her feet dangle over the ledge. _Today's the day we leave the resort for our actual home…my new home._

She began to feel butterflies in her stomach. She felt both nervous and, surprisingly, excited. When she was living on her own before she ever met the ants, she had no permanent home, sleeping wherever was fit. She avoided snake holes and birds nests, and if there was a hollowed-out tree branch, she always checked to make sure it was free of snakes and other insects. There were some days she slept out in the open with nothing but the grass to shade her, if there was any grass at all.

When she was living on Ant Island, she slept in an empty chamber in the anthill. It was dark, save for a luminous mushroom, and cool, proving to be very comfortable; especially if the weather outside was hot. But despite that, Kimberly needed to be able to have fresh air when she awoke. She was so used to sleeping outside, or in a hollowed-out tree branch, it took a long time to get used to sleeping in a cave.

But since it was mentioned that the grasshoppers' permanent home was in a tree, Kimberly felt a little better about the sleeping arrangements. As long as she was above ground, she was happy.

Her antennae perked up at noise behind her. Looking back, she saw the cockroach, whose name was Mac, standing to his feet, stretching and yawning. Mac was a silent insect, though Kimberly didn't know whether he was mute or simply didn't speak, but also quite friendly. He communicated mostly through head nods or shakes, and also used his hands to talk, pointing or gesturing. It took a while for Kimberly to understand, but Mac was patient.

"Good morning." She smiled, standing to her feet.

Mac nodded in response, placing a twig in his mouth. "Well…today's the big day, I suppose. Are you coming with us?"

He shook his head, and pointed to the ground. "You stay here?" Kimberly guessed.

Mac nodded affirmative. "I see." She stood in silence before sighing, "Well, I suppose I should eat breakfast before everyone else wakes up?"

Mac shrugged, smiling slightly, as if to say "I guess". Kimberly tiptoed past a still-sleeping Hopper, and leapt down to the lower level. All of the other grasshoppers were still asleep, though Thumper looked like he was starting to wake up. The mosquitoes, however, were up and about, eating breakfast and drinking cactus juice.

"_Buenos días_, Ms. Kimberly." The head of the mosquito family, Sr. Zancudo, greeted.

"_Buenos días._" Kimberly smiled, having learned some basic Spanish phrases and words. "Today's the last day we'll be here."

"_Sí_. _Tuerto_ tells us he and the grasshoppers will stay the winter at their home, so we'll have a whole year to ourselves. It is a dream come true."

After several minutes, the rest of the grasshoppers, including Hopper, woke up. They gathered around the bar for one last drink. Finally, Hopper stood up, clearing his throat. "Remember, we're staying the whole year at our tree home." He said. "We'll return here the winter after." He turned to Kimberly. "You're gonna have to keep up with us. We're not gonna fly at your pace, or stop for breaks."

Kimberly's face flushed as the other grasshoppers snickered. "Hey, maybe she could be on Thumper Duty?" One suggested.

"What's that?" She asked, though she felt like she didn't want to know.

"Thumper has to be on a leash when we go long distances," The grasshopper who spoke, Alonzo, said. "So, one of us has to hold his leash as we fly so he doesn't go off on his own. Up to now, all of us has had at least one turn on Thumper Duty…except you."

Kimberly grimaced as Thumper chortled, ignoring Alonzo and Raul slipping the looped leash over his head. "Yippee." She said dryly.

"At least you'll keep up." Hopper smirked.

She rolled her eyes, taking hold of the thick leash in both top hands, as her top arms and grip were stronger. "And, uh, word of advice: hold on, _tightly_." The one-eyed grasshopper couldn't help chuckling.

"Thanks for the tip." She nodded sarcastically. She glanced at Thumper. "You're not gonna go easy on a first-timer, are you?"

He grinned, shaking his head. "I thought not. At least try to not pull my arms out of my sockets? My wing stumps nearly being pulled clean off by a bird was already painful enough."

"What?" A grasshopper asked in slight astonishment. "Whattaya mean?"

"That night when you guys were chased off of Ant Island, I was caught by a bird. Luckily, it only got my leaf-wings, and they were pulled off so I could escape, though they nearly took my wing stumps with them."

The grasshoppers gaped and chattered, shocked that one of their own was nearly eaten by a bird, and yet lived. "She can tell that story when we get home." Hopper said, silencing the chatter. "Let's ride!"

All of the grasshoppers whooped, buzzing their wings. Before Kimberly could react, all of the grasshoppers leapt into the air, following Hopper out of the hole in the crown and into the sky. She yelled in surprise as she was jerked along by Thumper. Clenching her jaw, she grabbed the leash in both hands and flapped her wings as fast as she could. Over the loud buzzing, she could hear the other grasshoppers ooh-ing and exclaiming about the orange and red blurs her wings made. But she ignored them, and concentrated on keeping a hold of Thumper's leash. _How would this keep him from flying off on his own? He's not just strong, he's fast! He could go the opposite way and I wouldn't be able to stop him!_

The trip lasted for several hours before they even got out of the desert region. Once they were out of the heat and into cooler weather, Kimberly felt better. She still wasn't quite able to keep up with Thumper, but she wasn't dragged behind like a dead weight, as she was still flapping her wings, though she gave them a break every now and then. She saw Thumper glance over his shoulder a few times, and she could have sworn she saw a smug grin almost every time. "Would it kill you to ease up on the speed?" She yelled. "We're not running a marathon!"

"I told you, talking like that to Hopper's suicide!" Axel exclaimed beside her.

"I'm not talking to him; I'm talking to Mr. Must-Fly-Fast here." Kimberly said, jerking the leash up and down, surprising the scrawny grasshopper. But it didn't deter his speed.

"To be honest, you're doing pretty well for your first time. The last person on Thumper Duty was Molt, and he's done it a few times, but he's always dragged along like he was weightless."

"Not only is Thumper fast, but he's also strong." Loco added, somewhat voicing Kimberly's earlier thoughts.

"If I had my real wings, and hadn't not flown for about nine months straight, I'd probably be just as fast as Thumper." Kimberly said, flapping her wings even faster.

"When you put it that way, it might not be a good idea to push yourself." Axel said.

"I'm fine," She waved a lower hand. "I need to get back into the groove of flying anyway." Furrowing her eyebrows and scowling in determination, she stretched herself out straight and flapped her wings as hard and fast as she could, almost mixing the red and orange blurs into one red-orange blur. To the other grasshoppers' astonishment, she got to the point where she didn't need to stretch her top arms out to hang onto the leash anymore.

"Hey, you ever notice Ms. Kimberly and Thumper look similar?" One grasshopper, Giovanni asked Axel and Loco.

"You mean when she went insane?" The freckled grasshopper asked.

"No, I mean now, and normally." Giovanni shook his head. "They both have thin faces, big eyes, and Ms. Kimberly has a green tint to her exoskeleton as well. And, like you said, they look almost identical when she went insane."

"Oswaldo, Edoardo, Carlo, and Stefano saw her when she first went into Insane Mode and attacked Thumper," Loco said. "They said if she was light-green, and her eyes reddish-brown, she would have been his twin."

"You don't think Ms. Kimberly's related to Thumper, do you?" Axel asked.

The three grasshoppers tapped their chins and hummed in thought. "…Nah!" They laughed.

Kimberly and Thumper were two totally different grasshoppers, who happened to have gone crazy and look similar. The difference was Kimberly looked different from him aside from her skin and eye color, and she was able to control her madness. Plus, she could talk and function like a normal grasshopper.

There was no way the two were related.

* * *

**A/N I still have a bit of writer's block, but this seems like a good place to stop.**

**This is also kind of a filler chapter, with a lot of non-dialogue info. Kimberly didn't have a set home before living with the ants, so she slept wherever she could. As such, she likes either sleeping outside, or sleeping where the outdoors was easy access. In an anthill, you're already underground, and to get to the surface, you have to go through several tunnels. Sleeping underground sounds cool, but I don't think I'd want to do it; I like my windows.**

**I've decided that Mac would be the permanent name for the cockroach that was massaging Hopper's back in ABL. I'm not sure whether to make him truly mute, or just have so he rarely, if not ever, talks. He kinda reminds me of the Sandman from Rise of the Guardians in that he's silent, and kinda uses signs to communicate.**

**I laugh when I see Molt dragged along by Thumper when the grasshoppers fly back to Ant Island (fun fact: a group of grasshoppers is called a cloud) I'm not sure if anyone else calls it Thumper Duty when someone has to hold his leash, but it seems appropriate. I do volunteer work at the animal shelter, mostly walking dogs and playing with cats, and I've walked at least two dogs who like to pull hard on the leash. Luckily, I haven't had any major casualties, only falling once. Plus, my own family dog likes to pull on the leash, so I'm a bit experienced in that field.**

**The grasshoppers pondering the possibility of Kimberly and Thumper being related was a last-minute thing I added in, but at the same time is something that NEEDED to be added. I'm not gonna completely confirm if Kimmy and Thumper are related, but I'm definitely hinting it a few times: as stated, they look similar, with thin faces, big eyes, and Kimmy having a light-green tint to her skin; and the biggest one with her going into Insane Mode, acting like Thumper when he fights. And then there's the couple of quotes that said Kimberly looks almost like a female Thumper, save for having hazel eyes, yellow skin, and obviously being female.**

**Like I said, I'm not gonna confirm whether they're related or not, as some characters can look similar and be completely unrelated. But it's definitely for the grasshoppers (and readers) to ponder on...;)**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**Dark Maiden95: It might/might not come to that, you never know ;)**

**hellgirl-fan1: Thanks.**

**Guest: Thanks :D If it comes to that (no spoilers) it won't be for quite a while. Hopper's gonna keep on living, since I basically spared him from becoming diner for baby chicks. As for the last sentence, we shall have to see.**

* * *

As the afternoon turned late, the grasshoppers finally found a huge tree, somewhat similar to the one on Ant Island, with a small hole in the trunk. Hopper led the grasshoppers into the hole, and they all landed just inside the entrance.

As soon as Kimberly landed and let Thumper's leash go, she collapsed against the wall, relaxing her now-sore wings. "I'm not flying for, oh, probably a few days." She sighed, sliding down so she was sitting.

"You didn't really have to fly on your own," One grasshopper, Raul, said. "Thumper was doing your job."

"I hadn't flown for over half a year, so I wanted to get back into shape." She answered. "But I think I over-exhausted myself." She stood up, rubbing her wings with a low groan of pain.

"Are you fine enough for a tour?" Hopper asked, not sounding like he was very concerned.

"As long as I don't need to fly, yes." She nodded. She finally looked around the hollow in the tree. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped in astonishment.

Despite having a small entrance, the tree hollow was actually very big. There were small tunnels in the walls, big enough for a grasshopper to crawl in, with leaves acting as doors; a hole in the ground with grain, berries, and dried grass, and a few rocks and thick branches making chairs and tables. On the walls and ceiling were luminous mushrooms, like in the anthill on Ant Island.

Hopper chuckled at Kimberly's astonished expression as he stood beside her. "The way you reacted, you'd think you never lived anywhere decent." He remarked, closing her jaw with a finger.

She blinked out of her stupor. "To tell the truth, before I lived with the ants, I was always on the go, and slept wherever I could, be it a hole in the ground or a branch, or simply in the dirt and out in the open. The anthill was nice, but this…this is amazing!" She slowly walked deeper into the little community, slowly spinning to get a better view.

Hopper couldn't help smiling wider at the female grasshopper's fascination. She seemed to be easily impressed by small things, and was happy living the simple life. It didn't take much to satisfy her, which was more than he could say about other females he met, most of which lived in the city. The city was a nice place to visit, but he himself preferred the country life, as most insects called it. Evidently, Kimberly was the same.

"All right, Kim," He said, catching her attention. "The leaf-covered holes in the wall tunnel to smaller rooms, which can house up to five grasshoppers, but only three at a time are allowed. That means you'll have to bunk with two grasshoppers."

"There's more than eight holes though." She pointed out, for once not minding a nickname from the one-eyed grasshopper. "There's three more, in fact."

"You're good at arithmetic." Hopper commented. "Those are spare rooms, though one is my own."

"So, there are two spare rooms." Kimberly said. "Meaning I can have a room all to myself."

"Another room is for Thumper, as the others are too chicken to bunk with him. The seven rooms are for the majority of the grasshoppers, one's for Thumper, and another was for me and Molt."

"That still leaves me with a room."

"I have an empty bed in _my_ room." Hopper grinned charmingly.

Kimberly scowled in return. "The day I sleep in the same room as you is the day I get rid of my leaf-wings and go live with snakes."

"Your loss." He shrugged, laughing at her still-present glare. "I'm joking, darling. As I said before, I'm a gentlebug. I was planning to give you your own room the whole time. I was just messing with you. Anyway, the main room is where we eat, socialize, and such. The branches outside are also adequate for eating and talking, though you gotta watch out for the fireflies. They're liable to snatch your food when you're not looking. But they're harmless otherwise. Luckily, they only come out in the spring and summer, so we won't have to worry about them for several more months."

Kimberly nodded, "All right. Where do I sleep?"

"Right there," He pointed to the third hole from the right side of the hollow entrance. "It's a ways away from the others, and I'm just a hop away if you need me."

_Like I'd ever go to you if I need anything, or would need you at all._ She rolled her eyes. "By the way, how is it birds and squirrels haven't invaded, or try and make the hole bigger?"

"Dumb luck, I suppose." Hopper shrugged, walking away.

"More like _good_ luck." Kimberly muttered to herself. She moved the leaf aside and climbed into the hole Hopper pointed to, curious to see her new living arrangements.

The smaller hollow was quite spacious; she now knew why he said it could house five grasshoppers, though he only allowed three at a time. There were three piles of dried moss for beds, which she found quite comfortable, and a medium-sized luminous mushroom on the wall.

As she wondered if it would be a good idea to collect leaves for blankets, Carlo flew in. "There you are." He said.

"What do you want?" Kimberly scowled, standing. Carlo was the only grasshopper she trusted less than Hopper, as the former had continued to try and flirt with her when they were at the resort, even after being glared daggers at by the one-eyed grasshopper.

"Just wanting to officially welcome you to the gang." He said, smiling innocently. "Are you sure you're not gonna be too lonely in here?" He asked, approaching her.

"You stay out of here." Kimberly scowled, backing away. Even though she was bigger than the males, save for Hopper, she was vastly outnumbered. Plus, Carlo by himself could be faster and cleverer than her, especially in the limited room, where he could easily block the exit.

"C'mon, sweetwings," Carlo grinned, continuing to walk up to her. "You _must_ be lonely, since you clearly hadn't had contact with grasshoppers for almost a year." He reached up to cup her cheek, only to get smacked away and spit on. He glared nastily at her. "How _dare_ you slap and spit on me!"

"You stay away from me!" Kimberly snarled, crouching down and holding up her claws.

Then, there was more growling. Looking towards the sound, Kimberly and Carlo saw Thumper standing at the tunnel entrance, scowling darkly and growling deeply. Drool was dripping out of his mouth, and he looked absolutely demonic.

"Thumper? What's the matter?" Carlo asked as Kimberly moved away from him.

The scrawny grasshopper leapt at the other grasshopper, snarling loudly, and seeming to shout, "Out! Out! Out!" Carlo exclaimed in surprise as Thumper snapped at him, and hurried out of the cave, yelling, "All right, I'm going! I'm going!"

Thumper snorted in his direction and turned to Kimberly, cocking his head slightly. His angry glare was gone, and he had a hint of concern in his expression. "I'm fine." She nodded. "Er…thanks for getting him out."

Thumper nodded, smiling slightly and crookedly. "…I think we got off on the wrong foot," Kimberly said. "Especially given what was going on at the time. So, since we're gonna be living together…maybe we could at least try and start over?"

Thumper nodded again, still smiling.

* * *

After the incident, Carlo mostly stayed away from Kimberly, especially if Hopper or Thumper were present. Speaking of the one-eyed grasshopper, Kimberly noticed Hopper glaring and yelling at Carlo as soon as she and Thumper exited the tunnel. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Hopper caught Carlo coming out of your sleeping tunnel," Francesco said. "And he's giving him quite the earful. Carlo didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No," Kimberly shook her head. "Thumper actually made sure of that."

"Seriously?" Giovanni asked in astonishment. "What exactly happened?"

"Carlo was being too close-for-comfort, and Thumper came in, snarling something awful." She explained. "I thought he was gonna maul Carlo."

"If I ever see you even near that tunnel again, not only will I rip your wings off with my bare hands, but I'll also leave you for the birds!" Hopper yelled, actually spitting in rage. "Do you understand me?!"

Carlo nodded, wide-eyed and pale-faced, before scurrying away. Panting heavily, Hopper stormed out of the tree, brushing past Kimberly. "Geez, he's _really_ mad." She remarked. "I'm guessing you guys have seen worse?"

"Actually, that's among the worst we've seen." Francesco said.

* * *

**A/N I really let my imagination take charge when thinking up the grasshoppers' permanent residence. Since there's a full city, presumably built by bugs, a sort of multi-party house made in a large tree isn't too far off. How it was made will be explained further in the next chapter.**

**Something I probably really didn't point out: in the real world, female grasshoppers are bigger than males. So, if you see two grasshoppers of the same species together, and one's bigger than the other, the bigger one's a female. In ABL, all of the grasshoppers except Hopper are around the same size, while Hopper himself is much bigger (headcanon: he has a bit of gigantism, which causes someone to grow bigger than normal; either that, or he's just really big by coincidence, either way) So, following real world logic, Kimberly is bigger than the male grasshoppers, but is the same size as Hopper. Kind of a funny picture of Kimberly almost towering over most of the grasshopper gang XD**

**Since Thumper's gained a bit of respect for Kimberly, he's starting to warm up to her. He still messes with her (evidenced during their flight home) but he obviously cares for her, seeing as he chased away Carlo, snarling like a rabid animal. As I said before, he can speak a bit; he yelled a few words in ABL when the grasshoppers were flying back to Ant Island. In TW, he can make out a sentence or two, or say simple words, like here. To me, the scene where Thumper's snapping at Carlo, yelling "Out! Out! Out!" and Carlo running out, scared, would be hilarious to see XD**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**hellgirl-fan1: Pretty much :3**

**Dark Maiden95: Definitely.**

**Maleekuh: Cool, thanks :D**

* * *

Being a curious insect, Kimberly was eager to know how the grasshopper's home, aptly called Grasshopper Grove, came to be. Remembering Bart said he was the leader in the production, Kimberly asked him her questions. "One word, Ms. Kimberly: termites." He answered.

"Termites?" She cocked an antenna.

"Yes. What are termites most known for?"

She blinked in realization. "Eating wood."

"And eating it fast, might I add. They're also ingenious carpenters, able to _carve_ wood as well as eat it. And they don't demand much in pay, just lunch." He winked, chuckling. "The main room was already here, they just had to carve out the tunnels and sleeping rooms. Hopper entrusted me in telling the termites what to do and where to build what."

"Was the entrance already small?"

"No. The termites made the wood they carved out of the tunnels into a paste, and got some more wood from other trees. Then, using the wood and paste, they shrunk the entrance to the size it is now. And the paste is strong," He knocked on the wall with a fist. "Solid like a rock."

Kimberly nodded in agreement, smiling. She was always fascinated with trivial things. It amazed and puzzled other insects that she could be satisfied with minor things in life, and that small things interested her greatly. "I'm easy to please, I suppose." She would shrug.

"You seemed really enamored with this place." Bart remarked.

"It's amazing!" She said. "I never knew a place like this existed."

"Where did you think we lived when we weren't at the buffet courtesy of the ants?"

Her smile faltered, but she answered regardless, "I didn't really think or wonder, nor did I really care."

"Oh, that hurts right here, Ms. Kimberly!" Bart exclaimed, clutching his chest mockingly, making her laugh.

"Does it get cold in the winter?"

"It's cold, yes. But it's really warm inside. It's especially cozy in the sleeping tunnels."

"That reminds me, should we gather leaves for warmth?"

"We'll do that. You don't have to lift a finger-"

"I'm not gonna sit around and do nothing." Kimberly crossed her arms. "I helped the ants harvest for your offering, twice, so I think I can carry a few leaves."

Bart seemed a little bemused that Kimberly willingly harvested alongside the ants, but didn't say anymore on the subject.

* * *

For the next several days, the grasshoppers set to work gathering grass and berries for food, and leaves for warmth in the sleeping tunnels. Kimberly couldn't figure out why Hopper would force the ants to collect a large amount of food for them in the summer, when they were perfectly capable of gathering their own food for the winter. When she asked the other grasshoppers, they merely shrugged and said they didn't question Hopper, as he was touchy about the subject, and usually refused to elaborate.

Kimberly gathered some grass to try and weave a blanket for herself. She would often sit alone in her sleeping tunnel, weaving together brown and green grass. Sometimes Thumper, who had appointed himself as her bodyguard, would join her, though he merely lay on the ground, cleaning his antennae and watching. He would also fetch some grass for her, though half the time he stole it from the food pit or other grasshoppers, much to their chagrin and her amusement.

Once her blanket was done, she couldn't help showing it off to the other grasshoppers. They were very impressed, and begged her to make blankets for them. Kimberly offered to teach them how to weave their own blankets, but most of them refused, seeing weaving as too "girly." Some of them were eager to learn though, and were fast learners at that.

Hopper had rolled his eyes at the grasshoppers weaving their own blankets, but when Kimberly said her blanket was much warmer than leaves, he didn't say anything else. She also offered "sweetly" to teach him how to weave, but he scowled in return as she laughed.

Kimberly often found herself flying around the Grasshopper Grove with Axel and Loco, who were starting to become her best friends. But she mostly flew with Thumper, whom she had been becoming very close to. The three grasshoppers helped her relearn how to fly, since despite having wings again and could still fly, she had to get her wings more used to flying after a nine-month period of using only her feet to get around.

She would often collapse into bed, wing stumps sore. But it was worth it to fly again.

* * *

The winter time was drawing nearer and nearer. Every grasshopper could feel it in their exoskeleton. But they were prepared: there was more than enough food in the food pit, they had plenty of leaves and woven blankets for warmth, the latter courtesy of Kimberly, and there wasn't a hole in the wall, save for the entrance, which was covered by a swinging piece of wood, which Bart made himself during the production of their home.

One cool afternoon, Hopper was playing poker with Doriano, Nico, and Taddeo. He didn't know why he said yes to their requests to play, seeing as he was the worst poker player of the gang. Luckily, when he lost, all it took was a glare to make sure Doriano, Nico, and Taddeo didn't brag that they won. They told him he was getting better, but he didn't see it. If he was getting better, the process was slower than a snail. He also made sure to never bet with food, or never bet, period.

Suddenly, Hopper's remaining antenna perked up, and his eyes widened. He stood still, listening; he could hear beautiful singing.

"You hear that?" Nico asked, looking around.

Taddeo and Doriano nodded. "The boss can definitely hear it." The former remarked, nodding at his stock-still form.

"Boss? You awake?" Doriano waved a hand in front of his face.

Hopper stood up, ignoring the grasshoppers, and began to follow his ears, still wondering where the singing was coming from. He barely noticed himself pushing Kimberly's leaf door aside and crawling into the tunnel before stopping before his head even poked out into the room. He watched and listened in silence, realizing it was Kimberly singing.

She was sitting in her bed, eyes closed and lips smiling, as she sang a song about dreams to dream. Thumper sat nearby, listening intently and contentedly, with a smile on his face as well. Hopper had never seen the scrawny grasshopper so calm.

Thumper saw Hopper out of the corner of his eye, and cocked his head at him. The one-eyed grasshopper held a finger to his lips as the singing paused for a beat, telling him to be quiet. Thumper blinked in acknowledgement and looked back at Kimberly, who didn't know she had a hidden listener.

Hopper climbed into the tunnel, leaning back against the wall, jaw slackening, as Kimberly stood to her feet, still singing with heightening notes. She spun around a few times, as if dancing with someone. Her voice lowered as she ended her song, and she stood still.

Hopper swallowed, wishing, despite himself, that she didn't stop. He heard her vocalizing back at Ant Island, and that was already lovely. But it wasn't the same as singing with words. And her singing with words…it was breathtaking to the one-eyed grasshopper.

Every grasshopper had some form of musical talent, and it was obvious what Kimberly's was.

When she finally opened her eyes, and saw Hopper leaning back against the wall, Kimberly jumped in surprise. "Did I scare you?" Hopper grinned.

She rolled her eyes, not in the mood to be hostile towards him. Not only was it getting old, but she was getting used to him. Though she didn't admit it out loud, he was better-behaved than some of the other grasshoppers. _I guess he wasn't lying when he said he was a gentlebug._

"It was lovely."

"Huh?" She blinked.

"Your singing." Hopper said. "It was—it was more than lovely. It was beautiful."

"…Oh." Kimberly was at a loss for words, never expecting him to compliment her on something like that. "…Well, thanks."

"Is that blush I see?" Hopper chuckled.

Kimberly finally scowled, brushing her cheek as if to wipe away the blush. Her scowl softened as he continued to laugh. "What, no glare or retort?"

"To be honest…I'm getting tired of being hostile." She sighed, sitting down on her bed again. "Since I'm in this gang, and have been for a couple months...and you're one of the more well-behaved grasshoppers, I guess I gotta lighten up." _Maybe it's because I still have a slight crush on you, even after all the horrible things you've done._

Hopper cocked his head slightly, but didn't say anything. Then, changing the subject, he asked, "How come you were singing?"

Kimberly shrugged, "I dunno. I hadn't really sung in a while, just in vowels." She chuckled. "And Thumper seemed keen on the idea." She scratched behind his antennae, like a pet, and he chuckled in delight, wagging his hind end like a tail, much to the yellowish grasshopper's amusement.

"He really enjoyed it." Hopper said.

"How did you find Thumper? And why is he so…feral?"

"It was several years back, some time before the ants and I made the deal-"

"You mean before you enslaved them?" Kimberly frowned, raising an eyebrow.

"That too. Anyway, I found Thumper wandering around in the grass. He was thinner than now, and was really thirsty. Out of the goodness of my heart, I brought him home and gave him water and food. Eventually, I decided he'd make a good bodyguard/bouncer."

Kimberly nodded once, glancing down at the scrawny grasshopper. "…Do you think we look alike?"

"Excuse me?" Hopper asked in confusion.

"I hear the other grasshoppers say Thumper and I look similar, and if I had light-green skin and reddish-brown eyes, I'd be his twin."

Hopper squinted, glancing back and forth between Kimberly and Thumper. "Ehh, you kinda look similar…actually, you both have thin faces, big eyes, and you have that light-green tint. Not to mention you acted like him when you went crazy back at Ant Island, though you mentioned you could control it. What do _you_ think?"

"I don't really know. It's such a coincidence…"

"What coincidence?" Hopper asked, somehow just now realizing he and Kimberly were having a normal conversation without glares or retorts.

"I had a brother growing up. We were from the same egg clutch. He looked a lot like Thumper."

"Was he just as feral?"

"My family was among the more feral kinds of grasshoppers. Mother sometimes said we kinda went back on the evolution chain. We were normal, despite sometimes getting snarly and nasty, like how I did back on Ant Island. My brother though—his name was Ferino—got the short end of the stick. He was wild from birth, though he didn't hurt anyone, luckily. Mother sometimes couldn't control him, though he seemed to calm down when she sang; especially the song I was just singing, which was what she sang to us when we were too scared to go to sleep. One day…Ferino was gone. Mother said he was out of our hands, and that he could survive on his own."

Kimberly brushed back her antennae, sighing. "You were right saying it was a bug-eat-bug world. Survival of the fittest. I was sad when I learned Ferino was gone. Mother never said whether he left on his own, or if she took him somewhere and left him. Sometimes, even today, I wonder if he's still alive. Now, though…" She looked down at Thumper. "I wonder if it's possible that…that Ferino is Thumper." She shook her head. "Then I tell myself to not get my hopes up. There are millions of grasshoppers out there. What are the chances Thumper's my long lost brother?"

Hopper didn't say anything as he glanced at Thumper, wondering what his reaction was. The scrawny grasshopper was staring curiously at Kimberly, with a hint of astonishment and recognition. Hopper agreed that it was a one-in-a-million chance that Thumper was her long lost brother, but they looked so similar, it couldn't be mere coincidence. Stranger things had happened, after all.

Thumper wasn't as brainless as everyone thought he was. Under that scrawny, feral-acting exoskeleton was an intelligent grasshopper. He may not be able to make full paragraphs, or full sentences most of the time, but he could say single words. And contrary to most of the other grasshoppers' beliefs, he could control his feral side. He just preferred to make it come out more, as opposed to Kimberly.

Speaking of the yellowish grasshopper, Thumper had been seeing her in a different light in the last couple of months. When he was first truly acquainted with her, back when Hopper took over Ant Island, he first thought her to be a nuisance and a crybaby, since when he said he pushed the "tiny princess" over a cliff, she started crying. But then she attacked him, and when he saw her in feral mode, he completely threw her being a crybaby out the window. She could clearly take care of herself, especially against himself.

But it was at the Mosquito Desert Resort that Kimberly earned Thumper's respect. She had survived the fight against him without anyone separating them, and she wasn't even completely in Insane Mode, as she called it later. And then she surprised him, as well as everyone else, yelling for him to sit. It was a combination of surprise and respect that made Thumper sit down. And said respect still remained. That was also why he chased Carlo out of her sleeping tunnel; he felt a need to protect her.

He had heard the other grasshoppers say he and Kimberly looked similar, with thin faces, big eyes, and her having a light-green tint to her skin. He hadn't given it another thought, since two unrelated grasshoppers could look similar. But then Kimberly told Hopper about her having a brother, who looked and acted similar to Thumper, and had been abandoned. Thumper already recognized the song Kimberly sang, and when she said her mother sang it when she and her brother were too scared to sleep, it clicked. Plus, he vaguely remembered being left alone, by an older grasshopper, in the grass as an adolescent.

Thumper climbed onto Kimberly's bed next to her and laid his head on her lap, smiling as she scratched behind his antennae again. Even if she never believes that Thumper and Ferino were the same, he would always think of her as his sister.

* * *

**A/N Happy April Fool's Day. So far, luckily, I haven't been made a fool :3**

**Save for Hopper mentioning them at Ant Island, ABL doesn't have termites, to my knowledge (though there WAS one in the A Bug's Life PC game; my siblings and I had hours of fun playing that when we were little :D) So it'd be perfect for them to work as carpenters in the ABL universe. Plus, their workspace counts as lunch and payment, so double-win.**

**I know how to knit, so I decided to have Kimberly able to do something similar: weaving. I also used to take grassblades and kinda weave them together when I was little (I was the kind of girl who liked looking under rocks and logs, collecting snails, worms, and grubs; still am :3) **

**The song Kimberly was singing is _Dreams to Dream_, by Cathy Cavadini, from _An American Tail: Fievel Goes West_. I guess the scene with the song from the movie kinda inspired Hopper hearing Kimberly singing, and watching and listening without her knowing. It's a really pretty song.**

**That's how I think Thumper ended up in Hopper's gang: Hopper literally found and took him in.**

**Kimberly's life was fairly simple, and a combination of real life and fiction life. Survival of the fittest, like Hopper said; it's a bug-eat-bug world. Also, Ferino is Italian for "Feral" (I'm using a lot of Italian in this story...)**

**The last five paragraphs were in Thumper's POV. I'm just gonna get this out of the way, and answer your guys' question: yes, Thumper is Kimberly's brother. When I was creating Kimberly, I thought it'd be neat to make her related to a canon character, and pick one that you wouldn't expect. I picked Thumper; I literally looked at about two dozen pics of him to get Kimberly's features, in her first pic, just right, and I'm still "improving" (mostly on how to draw ABL grasshoppers as a whole...they're really difficult)**

**Anyway, half of Kimberly's mind wants to believe that Thumper's her brother, but the other half is telling her not to get her hopes up. Even if she never makes the connection, she's always gonna think of him like a brother (in outside-canon-art, like little interview thingies, Kimberly will acknowledge Thumper as her brother; kind of a behind-the-scenes thing or whatever)**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**The Queen of Water: I'm not sure what that means. But if you were asking if Thumper was Kimberly's brother, then yes, he is; read the last A/N in the last chapter.**

* * *

Snow hadn't fallen yet, but the days were still chilly, despite winter not coming quite yet. All of the grasshopper preferred to stay inside. Kimberly, however, was starting to get cabin fever. She often wandered around the hollow, not having a concrete purpose. But she made sure not to wander into any sleeping tunnels, save for her own.

When she had awoken one morning, she found Thumper curled up next to her bed, antennae twitching in a dream. Kimberly didn't know what to make of it, and so left him alone. Later, when he woke up, she asked him if he snuck into her room the previous night. He grinned sheepishly, which was quite uncharacteristic of him, and nodded. She also learned he had done so a few times in the past, especially after they first arrived at the Grasshopper Grove, but he had woken up and left before Kimberly woke up.

Kimberly didn't mind. She knew Thumper wouldn't hurt her, and humorously wondered if he was protecting her from perverted grasshoppers, ie Carlo, while she slept. She giggled at the image of her sleeping, and Thumper crouched down in front of her, snarling at the entrance to her sleeping tunnel.

One unusually warm late afternoon, as Kimberly sat down at the table, nibbling on a berry, a younger grasshopper, Pasquale, asked her, "Why do you keep walking around aimlessly?"

"I'm bored." She shrugged, sucking the juice out of her berry and tossing the rest in her mouth.

Pasquale scowled slightly at her. He was one of the few grasshoppers who disliked Kimberly. Ever since she joined the gang to protect the ants—why, he would never know—she had been drawing Hopper's attention to her, without even trying or wanting to. Pasquale worshipped Hopper; after all, he was bigger than any other male grasshopper, survived nearly being eaten by a bird with just a scar and blind eye to prove it, and could keep a whole colony of ants under his thumb. The last quality, however, had been ruined by a rebel ant. But no matter, they could always kill him and get the ants under control again. They could even kill the queen, as the original plan had been.

But no! That female grasshopper with the weird eyes just had to butt in and make that deal to Hopper! How dare she convince him to leave the ants alone! And to make matters worse, she even joined the gang!

Pasquale knew Hopper was happy. Ever since they visited the ants that summer, and she yelled, smacked, and spit on him, the one-eyed grasshopper had been smitten with her. He may not show it, but why else would he have told the other grasshoppers to leave her alone? To not talk to, touch, or look at her? Why else would he have agreed to leave the ants and Ant Island alone for the sake of her joining the gang?

They had been happy doing what they were doing annually, but one female grasshopper steps in, with her strange eyes and strange friendship with the ants, and boom! She ruins everything!

Pasquale hated Kimberly. Every time he saw her, he hated her more. He wished she would leave the gang. He wished the other grasshoppers didn't like her. He wished Thumper had killed her. He wished she would get into trouble.

A sly smile grew on the grasshopper's face. It was a slow start, but why not send her snooping? Especially where she was definitely not allowed to go? Glancing at his claws nonchalantly, he asked, "You ever wonder what's in that tunnel?"

Kimberly cocked an eyebrow, curiously. "What tunnel?"

"That one." He pointed to a larger tunnel, covered by a greenish-orange leaf.

Kimberly scowled, "What do you think I am, stupid? That's Hopper's sleeping tunnel! Why the hell would I want to go in there, or even _wonder_ what's in there?"

"Well, you just seem like a curious female." Pasquale shrugged. "Hopper's sleeping tunnel's much bigger than the others."

"Like his ego?" She rolled her eyes.

"He's the boss, after all. And there's rumor that he's hiding something mighty…interesting." He winked.

"What do you mean, 'interesting'?"

"I mean 'interesting'. What, you don't know what that means?"

"I know what 'interesting' means." She said, starting to lose her patience with the obnoxious grasshopper. "I'm not gonna go snooping where I'm not supposed to go."

"Hopper never said you couldn't go in his sleeping tunnel." Pasquale pointed out, squirming at what he was saying. "You never know, he might want to show you his interesting thing someday. Why not take a look now?"

Scoffing, Kimberly stood up and walked away. Pasquale snickered in his hand. Truth be told, he had no idea if Hopper was hiding anything. He just wanted to pique Kimberly's curiosity so she would go into Hopper's room. If he was lucky, Hopper would catch her and be angry, as he didn't like people snooping in his room. Not even Ms. Kimberly.

* * *

There was an old saying: curiosity killed the caterpillar. Every bug and their grandparents were taught that when they were very young. Kimberly knew the saying very well. However, when something sparked her interest, she often couldn't leave it alone until it was investigated. She had gotten into trouble in the past because of her curiosity, and was determined to keep her nose clean today.

But Pasquale talking about something "interesting" in Hopper's sleeping tunnel definitely got her attention. The way he worded it made Kimberly wonder if it was something she wouldn't like, such as the corpse of some insect—namely, an ant. She shuddered, hoping it wasn't so. _Only one way to find out. Besides, he's out of the tree. Just take one quick peek, and run out. He'll never notice!_

Gulping nervously, Kimberly snuck to the tunnel. Looking to see she wasn't being watched, she pushed the leaf aside and crawled in, letting it fall behind her. She crawled through the tunnel into a large hollow, twice as big as the others, yet had two beds. She remembered Hopper said he share the room with Molt in the past.

Kimberly looked around, frowning slightly when she didn't see anything she would call interesting. As she was about to leave, she saw a curtain of lichen. Raising an eyebrow, she pushed it aside, and jumped back with a frightened scream.

Behind the curtain was the complete shed exoskeleton of a grasshopper. It looked like a female, older than Kimberly herself. Her eyes were wide, and her jaw was dropped, as though she had been scared by something when she shed, literally jumping out of her skin.

Getting over the scare, Kimberly slowly approached the exoskeleton, squinting her eyes in curiosity. The grasshopper it came from looked a lot like Hopper, though it was portly like Molt. Could the shed skin have come from a female relative of theirs?

Before she could ponder any further, a shadow fell over her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Hopper looming over her, glowering darkly. Gasping in fright, Kimberly backed away as the one-eyed grasshopper stood in front of the shed exoskeleton in a protective stance. "What are you doing in here?" He growled.

Kimberly stared up at him, frightened. "I-I'm sorry-"

"Did I tell you you could snoop in here?"

"I'm sorr-"

"Do you realize what you could have done?!" He yelled, lunging for her.

She jumped aside, squealing in fright. "I didn't touch it!" She cried.

"Get out!"

"Hopper, I-"

"Get out!" He yelled, practically roaring. "Get out _now_!"

Gasping, Kimberly ran out as if a bird were after her. She mindlessly leapt out of the tunnel, ignoring the other grasshoppers asking her what was wrong and what she was doing, and ran out of the tree. Her mind kept flashing back to the eerie shed exoskeleton, and the pure red anger in Hopper's eyes. In all the time she knew him, and the many times she saw him upset, she had never seen him so angry.

He truly scared her.

Now on the ground and away from the Grasshopper Grove, Kimberly dove into a hole in the ground and sat down, panting heavily. She decided she wasn't going back to the tree until she was sure Hopper had calmed down. Maybe she could spend the night in the hole in the ground, just to make sure. It was better to be safe than sorry.

She froze at a sound behind her. Turning around, in the dim light of the setting sun, Kimberly saw a long, scaled body, and round, non-blinking eyes. A forked tongue poked out of its mouth.

_Snake!_

Kimberly couldn't move. She could only stare in fright at the creature as it slowly moved, disturbed from its slumber. Only when its forked tongue brushed against her did she bolt out with a scream. To her horror, the snake took off after her, lunging at her. As she lifted her hardened wings, fate was cruel to her, making the snake grab at her wings, knocking her to the ground.

Worried that her wings were damaged beyond flying, Kimberly scaled a small tree, whimpering in fright. Tears of pure terror were falling down her face. At this point, she actually wished she was being yelled at by Hopper now; anything but a snake!

The snake climbed after her, hissing and licking its lips for a meal of juicy grasshopper. It snapped at her, missing and falling on the branch they were on, making it shake. Kimberly fell onto the ground, injuring her left leg and lower left arm. She clutched her aching limbs, hissing in pain. Luckily, they weren't broken, but before she could get up, the snake was already advancing towards her. She backed away, barely noticing her back hit a rock, as she stared at the snake in frozen terror as it reared its head, tongue flicking out of its mouth.

Suddenly, there was the sound of buzzing. Three grasshoppers quickly flew in circles around the snake's head, with one traveling in the opposite direction of the other two. The snake jerked around, snapping at the flying insects, all the while moving away from Kimberly, who was still frozen in fear. She barely noticed someone grabbing her up in their arms, or a sharp whistle, causing the flying grasshoppers to fly straight up, confusing the snake as it kept slithering away. Then, all four grasshoppers flew into higher tree branches just in time to see a large bird swoop down, grab the snake, and fly away, cawing.

"Damn, that's the first time I've ever been glad to see a bird!" One grasshopper, whom Kimberly recognized as Axel, remarked.

"Is Ms. Kimberly okay?" Another grasshopper, Loco, asked.

Kimberly barely noticed her shallow breaths, or heard Thumper panting, "Kimby?" or even felt herself shaking. She did, however, feel someone patting her cheek. "Kimberly? Can you hear me? C'mon, darling, wake up!"

_'Darling'? What?_ She finally blinked and took in the face of a familiar one-eyed grasshopper. To her surprise, he looked concerned, as well as a bit scared, both of which were very uncharacteristic, especially given the mood she left him in. "Are you okay?" He whispered.

Kimberly blinked again, mind flashing back to the snake that nearly ate her. Before she realized what she was doing, she grabbed Hopper tightly, pressing her face against his plated chest, and began crying. Instead of pushing her away, Hopper held her close to him, glancing with a warning scowl at the other three grasshoppers, two of which raised their hands innocently. Then, still holding Kimberly, who was also still crying, Hopper took off for the Grasshopper Grove, with Axel, Loco, and Thumper right behind.

* * *

**A/N I seem to notice a pattern with my fanfics lately: they all take place near/during/after autumn. And it's spring at the moment...**

**With the grasshoppers in the gang—save for Hopper, Molt, Thumper, Axel, and Loco—all I'm doing is choosing a grasshopper or two who are in a specific scene, and giving them names :3 Even ones in minor scenes; Pasquale, for example, is the grasshopper Hopper pushed(?)aside before slamming Molt into the wall when we first meet the grasshoppers. So far, I've been able to name ten grasshoppers this way (Carlo and Edoardo don't really count, since the scene they were introduced in was one I made on my own)**

**I decided to have Pasquale dislike Kimberly (not everyone's gonna like her) and want to get her in trouble. I had to figure out a way for him to dislike her, as it wouldn't make much sense to just hate her to...hate her XD So, I decided he worshiped Hopper, and felt Kimberly was getting too much attention from him. Not to mention she ruined their annual routine.**

**I'll admit, Kimberly going into Hopper's room, getting chased out, running into a snake, and being saved by the grasshoppers was inspired by Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_ (I'm not gonna directly copy it though) It just seemed like a brilliant idea. Also, the shed exoskeleton (think like Molt's when he literally jumped out of his skin when the ants rebelled against the grasshoppers) has significance later. You can take a guess to who she is, if you'd like.**

**I always wanted Kimberly to run into a snake eventually. But I ran into a bit of a snag: it's autumn. It's getting cold, and the snakes are most likely hibernating, if not extremely sluggish. So, I moved around that, and "made" a warm day (we've been having crazy weather for the past several months, so it's not illegal) Also, Kimberly's gonna soon explain why she's so afraid of snakes.**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.**

**The Queen of Water: Kimberly is too.**

**hellgirl-fan1: I wasn't able to cram it in here, as the chapter was already getting long, but it'll come soon.**

**Jes: Nice guess :) It'll be revealed here.**

**Devilgirl123: Plus, it's not blatantly obvious to the other grasshoppers.**

**Guest: I figured brown eyes outlined with blue-green would look kinda strange, as most other eye colors are one solid color. I think they were brown and reddish-brown, but I'm not sure.**

* * *

Pasquale sat at the table, looking none the wiser to Kimberly being nearly eaten by a snake outside the Grasshopper Grove. He had heard Hopper yelling, and saw Kimberly run out, frightened. He snickered in his hand, laughing harder as Hopper flew out after her, with Axel, Loco, and Thumper right behind.

"What's so funny?" Bart asked.

Pasquale shook his head, getting his laughter under control. Nico scowled, "Did you tell Ms. Kimberly to go into the boss's sleeping tunnel?"

"I didn't tell her to do anything." The younger grasshopper denied.

"But you made her do it." Taddeo pointed out. "We saw you talking with her, and everyone knows you don't like her."

"Did you hear what I said to her?"

"No-"

"Exactly." Pasquale nodded. "I rest my case. Besides, you, Vito, Ugo, and Jacopo don't like her either."

The named grasshoppers didn't deny what he said. "How come you guys don't like her?" Alonzo asked.

"She's a nuisance," Ugo shrugged. "And she's strange."

"Because of her friendship to the ants." Vito added. "Who would want to be friends with ants? Especially since everyone knows ants hate grasshoppers, and vice versa."

"So what if she's friends with them?" Doriano asked. "It may be strange, yes. But otherwise, she's a nice girl."

"She ruined our annual buffet." Pasquale scowled, making Taddeo, Vito, Ugo, and Jacopo nod in agreement. "We were living the good life, and then she comes along, bats her eyelashes at the boss, and ruins everything!"

"She didn't exactly 'bat her eyelashes'," Francesco pointed out. "She actually yelled at, smacked, and spit on him."

"Same thing, since it got the boss to fall in love with her. Don't see why he'd like her though, with her weird eyes, and friendship with the ants."

Before anyone could comment any further, there was loud buzzing. Hopper flew in, with Kimberly in his arms, crying and clinging to him. Axel, Loco, and Thumper landed inside as well as the one-eyed grasshopper walked deeper into the hollow. He didn't look at anyone as he crawled into his sleeping tunnel. Axel and Loco stood by the tunnel like guards, and Thumper paced around in front of them, growling and glaring at the other grasshoppers.

"What happened?" Carlo asked.

"We found Kimberly cornered against a rock by a snake." Loco frowned. "She was stock-still, and the snake was ready to eat her."

"Any reason why Kimberly would go into Hopper's sleeping tunnel, and then run out, scared?" Axel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She shouldn't have been snooping around." Pasquale shrugged innocently.

"But you laughed when she ran out," Luigi said. "And laughed even harder when Hopper followed her."

"Laughing's not a crime. I already said I didn't tell her to go snooping."

"But you could've influenced her to." Loco retorted.

"Innocent until proven guilty," Edoardo said. "When Ms. Kimberly calms down, she'll be able to explain her side of the story."

* * *

**Kimberly was standing in a thick fog. She couldn't tell where she was. She didn't know if she was on Ant Island, in the Grasshopper Grove, at the Mosquito Desert Resort, or in a totally different place.**

**As she looked around, she could hear voices. They were overlapping and echoing, and all shouting, "Don't leave! We love you! Don't leave us! Please come back!" She recognized Dot, Atta, Flik, and Phyllis's voices.**

**Kimberly shook her head, muttering, "Stop it! Stop it! I left for your own good! I left to protect you!"**

**The voices began to slowly fade away. As Kimberly raised her head, she saw glowing eyes in the fog. Cocking an antenna in curiosity, she began to slowly approach the eyes. To her horror, a dark mass began to slowly rise. A mouth opened, revealing glowing fangs.**

**Kimberly backed away, gasping in fright. The shadow lunged at her, making her jump back with a scream. She turned and began running away, flapping her wings. But she didn't fly up. Before she could back look at her wings, a thick tail smacked into her, knocking her to the ground. Then, she felt fangs sink into her back. She began screaming and thrashing, yelling for help.**

Kimberly gasped awake in a dim blue light, lying in dry moss. She looked around, calming down when she recognized the walls of a sleeping tunnel. When she saw the lichen curtain, she froze, realizing she was in Hopper's sleeping tunnel. Before she could do anything, a thin, light-green face with reddish-brown eyes appeared in her line of vision, startling her. "Kimby!" Thumper grinned, nuzzling her face.

Kimberly giggled, sitting up and nudging Thumper away. Looking down at herself, she saw her left lower arm and left leg had dark-yellowish bruising, but they didn't look broken. She wondered if her wings were slashed by the snake's fangs. She shuddered, remembering feeling the snake's breath on her heels, and feeling paralyzed with fear.

"I see you're finally awake."

Kimberly jumped at the voice. Looking, she saw Hopper sitting up in the other bed, stretching his arms before moved to the side and setting his feet on the floor.

"How long have I been here?"

"Since last night." He answered, standing. "Which reminds me…what the hell were you thinking, running out like that?!" He suddenly yelled. "There are worse predators than snakes!"

"If you hadn't scared me so badly, I wouldn't have run out!" She barked back, feeling braver.

"If you hadn't have come sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, I wouldn't have yelled at you!"

"Someone said you had something in here that would 'interest' me! I wanted to make sure it wasn't something horrific, like an ant's carcass!"

"Why, in Arthropoda's name, would I keep an ant's carcass in here, much less a carcass, period?!"

"What about that grasshopper's exoskeleton?"

"That's a whole other story." Both grasshoppers stayed silent, panting slightly. Thumper glanced back and forth between the two, waiting for one of them to say anything else.

Finally, Hopper took a deep breath, and sighed. "Instead of arguing with me, just tell me why you came in here in the first place."

"I told you, one of the grasshoppers told me you had something 'interesting'—"

"Which one?"

"The young one. I think his name was Pascal?"

"Pasquale." Hopper corrected with a slight scowl. He remembered the younger insect always looked up to him, almost worshipping him. He was going to have to have a "talk" with him later.

"Right. He doesn't like me, though I can understand why. Anyway, he told me you had something of interest. He said you may want to show it to me someday, so it would be all right if I looked ahead. I told him I wasn't gonna go where I wasn't supposed to, but he said you never said I couldn't go in there. I was gonna take just a quick peek and leave."

"…I heard you scream. I assumed you found the exoskeleton."

"I didn't touch it. I wasn't even going to; I just wanted a closer look." She said sincerely. Then, she asked, "Are my wings ruined?"

"What?"

"The snake grabbed at my wings, making me fall. Are they ruined?"

To her surprise, he chuckled, "If you call a couple notches 'ruined,' then yes."

Blinking, she stood up, spread her wings, and looked over and under her shoulders at the wings. She saw at least two noticeably notches in her orange wing, and one in her red-orange one. She sighed with relief, chuckling slightly, as she relaxed her wings. "You'll also still be able to fly." Hopper answered her hidden question. "Thumper has notches in his wings, and he flies fine."

The mentioned grasshopper nodded, grinning. "I'm glad." Kimberly sighed.

"You're just a magnet for trouble, aren't you?" Hopper chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

Kimberly's antennae dropped slightly. "…I'm sorry."

"It's no skin off _my_ nose. I'll admit, it's strange playing hero—"

"I meant for coming in here." She interrupted, making Hopper freeze for a beat. "I shouldn't have come in here, whether you allowed me or not. It was wrong of me to snoop, especially behind the lichen curtain. I'm sorry. And thank you…for saving me."

Hopper blinked in surprise. He had expected her to remain stubborn that she had no fault in the whole mess. What he hadn't expected was her to admit fault and apologize. Plus, she looked and sounded sincerely sorry. _Fiery, brave, beautiful, smart, _and_ modest. This girl just keeps surprising me._

"If you don't mind me asking…who was she? The exoskeleton, I mean." Kimberly said. "She looked like you and Molt. A relative of yours'?"

"…Mother."

She cocked an antenna, confused. "She was our mother." He elaborated.

"You kept the shed exoskeleton of your mother?"

"It was the last thing I had of her, save for her body. And I wasn't gonna keep _that_. Even _I'm_ not that disgusting."

_Why keep it at all? Unless…unless he was very close to her._ Kimberly also remembered Phyllis telling her Hopper's mother had made the one-eyed grasshopper promise, on her deathbed, to not harm his younger brother. "What happened to her?"

Sighing, Hopper sat on the bed next to her. Kimberly found herself proud that she didn't move away from him, or even shudder. "It was years ago, when I was barely a young adult. Molt, Mother, and I used to actually live on Ant Island, though it was on the other side and away from the anthill."

Kimberly's antennae perked up with interest. In all the months she lived on Ant Island, no one mentioned grasshoppers living in the same area as the ants. "One day, I was attacked by a blue jay. It nearly swallowed me…" To her surprise, he gripped his top upper arms, shuddering slightly at the memory. "Mother literally jumped out of her skin—she's where Molt got his shedding problem. She leapt at the bird, pulling me out, and then flew in circles around it, like how the boys did to the snake earlier. The bird attacked her, and managed to grab her wings. When I saw that damn bird with Mother in its jaw, I began throwing as much dirt and rocks at it as I could. It went after me again, pecking at my face, actually slashing my eye and blinding it."

Kimberly ran a finger lightly down the scar across his eyebrow. He turned to her, raising an eyebrow. Hazel eyes stared into brown ones before she folded her hands on her lap and stared straight ahead, feeling her face burn in embarrassment. She scowled at Thumper, who was snickering.

Hopper cleared his throat awkwardly, "Anyway, Mother got in the way again, and the bird grabbed her again, this time grabbing her body. Standing in the grass, I threw rocks, dirt, and even a large piece of wood at it. That startled it, making it drop Mother and fly away. But Mother was injured…too injured." Rubbing his face with one hand, he sighed heavily, "She died a few minutes later, right in front of me. She was able to tell me not to hurt Molt—he may be my brother, but he sure annoys the hell out of me." He glared ahead. "But you know what the worst part was? Those ants saw the whole thing! They saw her dying, and didn't even do anything about it! I begged them to help, pleaded them! But they refused, outright saying 'no'! They just let her _die_!"

Kimberly's eyes widened in shock. "Why?" She asked in a small voice. "Why do ants hate grasshoppers? It's not just because you enslaved them?"

Calming himself down, Hopper said, "There's a story even _you_ probably heard: the Ants and the Grasshopper."

She nodded. In fact, she remembered telling the story to Dot one bedtime, though she was surprised…

"…_And so, the ants refused to give the grasshopper any food, saying if it was foolish enough to do nothing but sing, dance, and play during winter, it should go to bed hungry."_

_Dot cocked her head slightly, lying in her bed with her leaf blanket pulled to her chin. "I've never heard _that_ version before."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_The way Mother tells it is the grasshopper chooses to dance during summer while the ants gather food. She never said the other insects gathered food too fast, and that the grasshopper actually tried to gather food."_

_Kimberly blinked in surprise, never having heard of the stated version. She was always told that during summer, the grasshopper tried to gather food, and that the other insects, including the ants, always gathered food in the bulk, taking it all before the grasshopper could get it._

"_Kimmy? Did I say something wrong?" Dot asked innocently._

_Kimberly shook her head, smiling, "No, you didn't. I've just never heard that version. I suppose ants and grasshoppers have different sides of the story."_

"Dot told me that the grasshopper chose to be lazy during the summer, and that the ants said if he was foolish enough to dance during the summer, he should go to bed without food."

"Yes, the ants tell that version." Hopper nodded. "And grasshoppers say that the grasshopper wasn't able to gather food, as it was taken too quickly, and the ant refused it food in the winter. To grasshoppers, the story tells that ants are cold-hearted and greedy; to the ants, grasshoppers are lazy and dependent."

"Are you saying that's why the insects are so hateful of each other? Because of a bedtime story?"

"It's more than a bedtime story, darling. It's somewhat of an old legend. Legends can transform into bedtime stories, you know. But, yes, that's why the insects hated each other. It's an old hatred, stemming back hundreds of years."

"That's why you said the ants would always hate me." Kimberly said in realization. "It wasn't from enslavement, it was age-old hatred."

"Actually, it was both. And there's much more to the story." Hopper smirked at Kimberly's confused expression. "C'mon, Kimberly, you're smart. Use that pretty yellow head of yours. Think about it, why would the ants need protection?"

Kimberly thought back to Hopper mentioning other insects who could take advantage of the ants if he stopped "protecting" them. She then remembered Atta and Phyllis saying the grasshoppers indeed protected the ants from insects. Bigger insects.

Hopper nodded at the realization slowly dawning in the female grasshopper's eyes. "Why would the ants ask grasshoppers to protect them, if they hate each other? Or why I would protect the very insects that let my mother die? Simple: they asked."

Kimberly cocked her head, silently asking him to continue. "The queen, Phyllis, came to me. She told me the ants were being attacked by a large beetle named Caesar, and his cannibalistic dragonflies. Her husband, who had been the one to dare to say 'no' to helping my mother, had been one of the killed ants. Phyllis came to me, asking for help, because she wanted to distinguish the prejudice between ants and grasshoppers. She regretted not standing aside from her colony and helping Mother."

"Did you believe her?" Kimberly asked, somehow knowing she could expect that of Phyllis's character.

"…I don't really know." He shook his head. "I wasn't really in the mood to listen. I still hated the ants, even though it was a couple years after Mother's death. She begged me to help them, saying they would do anything. That struck me. I decided I could use it to my advantage, getting my revenge on the ants for letting my mother die. You can imagine what the rest was."

Kimberly nodded. "You and Phyllis made a deal: you and your grasshoppers would keep Caesar and his dragonflies at bay, and in exchange, the ants were to gather an offering for you every summer to pay for the protection."

"Exactly." Hopper nodded.

"But that doesn't really make much sense." Hopper raised an eyebrow. "The ants' version of the story told that grasshoppers were lazy and dependent. If they're gathering food for you and your gang, aren't you proving them right?"

"There's a difference though: Phyllis offered to give a food gathering each summer for us. That was the best they could do. So, I accepted it. If anyone accuses me or the gang of being lazy, or even if some of the grasshoppers do so…I let Thumper do the talking before I get a word in."

Thumper chuckled throatily, scratching at the ground. Kimberly shook her head, but let her thoughts take over. It was bad that Hopper enslaved the ants to begin with, but the events leading up to it were just as bad. She couldn't believe the ants had let an insect die, and in front of her own son to boot. She knew the ants weren't perfect saints, but this went deeper than just disliking her, and grasshoppers in general.

Hopper had said he had been almost a young adult when his mother died, and Atta seemed younger than the grasshopper. So, she was probably just a child. Plus, Dot wouldn't have been even an egg. She wouldn't know about Hopper's mother dying, but Atta probably did, maybe even witnessing it.

"Yes, Atta was a child." Hopper nodded when Kimberly asked. "Probably not an adolescent yet. I'm not sure if she saw, but her parents probably told her. She probably learned at her father's knee to assume all grasshoppers were evil, lazy, and dependent on other insects." He shrugged, "Well, in the end of everything, the ants are free of their debt, and we don't have to be affiliated with them anymore. I suppose I anticipated their rebel. As I told the boys before we left, if you let one ant stand up, then they'll all stand up. We were a group of twenty-four grasshoppers against hundreds of ants. As time went by, I let my hatred of the ants take over, and was determined to make their lives miserable for the pain they caused me, letting my mother die." He turned to Kimberly. "I understand if you still think me horrible, but at least you know why the ants were enslaved, and why there's such hatred between us. I'm not asking for forgiveness…just understanding." He looked away, as if not wanting her to see his face.

Kimberly cocked an antenna, still silent in thought. She still thought the one-eyed grasshopper was horrible for enslaving the ants and treating them lower than dirt. But now she knew Hopper's side of the story, and it wasn't pretty. She found herself angry at the ants for letting another insect die. So what if it was a grasshopper? Hopper was begging them to help! His eye was probably bleeding profusely, and the ants sat aside and did nothing of the sort. She didn't hate them, but she was severely disappointed in them.

"…I'm sorry." She laid a hand on Hopper's upper shoulder, much to his surprise. "I still think you're a nasty brute…but no one deserves to see their mother die in front of them, and be denied help."

Hopper blinked once, then twice, and slowly smiled. "Thanks." He nodded. "I guess...Phyllis was sorry, but no one else said so. Never expected it'd be someone like you."

Kimberly found herself smiling as she shrugged, "I guess people can surprise you."

Hopper nodded silently, realizing this was the first time Kimberly actually smiled at him. And not a sarcastic smirk, but a kind, genuine smile.

He decided after her eyes, her smile was one of the most beautiful parts of her.

* * *

**A/N Sheesh, this was a long one.**

**Even though some grasshoppers don't like Kimberly, they're not stupid enough to actually hurt her, or get her in trouble. Pasquale, on the other hand, is. BTW, apparently, the pronunciation for his name is "pas-kwal" in American language; in Italian, it's "pas-kwal-ee"**

**I figured with the recent attack, Kimberly's nightmares would change to a snake grabbing her instead of a bird. Plus, she's still feeling guilty and sad about leaving her surrogate family behind with barely an explanation.**

**Thumper's nickname for Kimberly is pronounced like Kimmy, but with a B. I think it's both kinda cute and expected from Thumper, since he can't speak much/very well.**

**Again, part of this chapter was based on Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_. But I altered some things, and especially added Kimberly apologizing for trespassing, something Belle didn't do at least onscreen. Even though the Beast seemed to forgive her, she still went somewhere she was told not to go, and never apologized for that. Kimberly's a modest character, and knows when she's done something wrong, even if it concerns someone she hates.**

**The bulk of this chapter was delving into Hopper's past. I'm not really ever sure where I get my stories for a character's (mostly villain[s]) past. Sometimes it's influenced by evidence in the movies, or even unrelated stories. Sometimes it's just pure brainstorming. With Hopper's, I decided it'd be interesting if the fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper" could play a role, since ABL itself was partially based on the story. Plus, I gave another side to it, making the story branch into two stories; one with the ant being the good guy, and the other with the grasshopper being the good guy. From each story, a different opinion emerges. And thus, the prejudice between the ants and grasshoppers (in my universe) was born. It's not perfect, but I tried my best :)**


End file.
